


Bound Together {Love Live! Sunshine!! AU}

by celestialtaehyung



Category: Love Live! School Idol Festival (Video Game), Love Live! School Idol Project, Love Live! Sunshine!!
Genre: Alternate Universe, Best Friends, Blood, Blood and Gore, Crying, Death, F/F, Friendship, Girls' Night, Horror, I Don't Even Know, I Tried, I'm Sorry, Love, Near Death, Orphanage, Other, Pain, Rituals, Scary
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-08
Updated: 2018-02-04
Packaged: 2019-03-02 09:18:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 11
Words: 21,483
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13315149
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/celestialtaehyung/pseuds/celestialtaehyung
Summary: In which a ritual performed by three friends goes horribly wrong.An interactive Love Live! AU! You make the decisions!





	1. Introduction

**Author's Note:**

> so, as you probably saw in the summary, this fic is going to be interactive! more will be explained in this introduction chapter!

**Hello, dear readers!**

 

**Yes, you read correctly: this is going to be an interactive AU! You, the reader, will be responsible for the choices in this story. Will you lead the girls to safety? Or will you make a dreadfully wrong choice and lead them to their end?**

 

**To explain how this will work, I will be posting all of the chapters here on my AO3 page. It's much easier for me, since I can write the chapters as long as I want. So you're probably asking yourself: how do I make the choices? Do I comment below what I want to happen? While you could always comment your choices, I think that it would be difficult for me to have to sit through and count up each comment, so I decided that the choices will be made through a poll on my Twitter! At the end of the chapter, I will leave you all with a choice and there will be a link to my Twitter (maybe directly to the poll) for that choice!**

 

**The poll should be around 24 hours, so I'll leave the poll to run, check the results and then get on with writing the next chapter. Of course, I shall try to release chapters on time, but I will leave a warning in advance on my Twitter if I'm overrun with homework/revision or, for some reason, won't be releasing the chapter on time. As I'm sure you all can understand, sometimes life can get in the way and it isn't always possible to stick to your plans.**

 

**Anyway, for anyone that has come from my Instagram and cannot access Twitter, I should have already explained on Instagram how you guys can vote! I'll screenshot the poll from my Twitter, then make that as a post on Instagram, where I will leave the two options as comments and you can like the choice you want to pick!**

 

**Therefore, all of the votes will be coming solely from the Twitter poll and my Instagram. If anyone does comment down below, then I'll try to take your votes into consideration, but please forgive me if I forget!**

 

**I hope you guys like this idea!**

 

**Thank you, and look forward to the first chapter!**


	2. Chapter One

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> welcome to the first chapter! i hope you all look forward to it as much as i have~ now the power is completely in your hands - i'm really interested to see the choices you all will make! ^^

Riko clapped her hands over her ears, squeezing her eyes shut as her friend, You Watanabe, burst into laughter. For whatever reason, they were exchanging – mostly crappy – ghost stories. Chika sat beside Riko, her eyes wide as she listened intently to You’s story. The three of them had dimmed the lights a little earlier, in the hopes of creating an eerie aura. Fortunately for them – or _unfortunately_ , in Riko’s case – it had worked. Even the curtains had been pulled tightly shut, blocking out all outside light, not that there was much left, considering it was late at night.

Faint silhouettes of their furniture crawled up the walls and along the floor, causing Riko to jump occasionally, fearing that it was, in fact, a ghost. There was a little light creeping out from under their bathroom door, where Chika had left the light on due to Riko’s protests, though Chika wouldn’t admit that she, too, wanted a little light to illuminate the darkened room.

After all, there was only so much darkness that the three of them could take.

You sat with her legs crossed, Riko and Chika sat on either side of her, as a smirk played on her pink lips. Her fair hair hung in front of her eyes as she leaned forward, enjoying the effect her story was having. Her blue eyes glimmered with mischief, her white teeth barely visible among the shadows.

Out of the three of them, You was, by far, the bravest. As far as Chika and Riko were aware, nothing could scare You. You was willing to dive head-first into any danger, as long as she was able to emerge a hero. She also really liked the idea of getting a shiny medal. All the attention in the room was centred on her as she continued her ghost story.

“She ran and ran, but she just kept tripping and the man kept gaining on her.” You’s voice was very low, just above a whisper. She opened her mouth to continue when a sound of confusion came from beside her. You looked to her side to find Chika with her brows furrowed.

“But why do they always have to fall over?” She wondered aloud, her orange hair falling to one side as she cocked her head. Her bright, pink eyes shone with confusion as she stared into the darkness. You arched a brow in confusion. “Think about it: how many times in real life do you fall while running?”

Riko, despite her fear, nodded in agreement and looked to You. “She has a point.”

While Chika did get scared here and there, she was usually able to contain her fear behind a cheery façade. In times of emergency, Chika would rather she be harmed than any harm come to her friends. Riko and You knew that they could always count on Chika if they needed her.

You stuck her tongue out at Riko, “Whatever. The man soon caught up to the girl, his knife held above his head.” You paused for effect, grinning as she glanced between Riko and Chika. At this point, Riko was clutching her soft pillow to her chest, ardently chewing her lower lip to take her mind off of the story. “The girl trembled below him, crying and screaming for help. The man laughed at her, a maniacal laugh that echoed around the fields.”

You suddenly mimicked the laugh, causing Riko to yelp. She swore loudly as she fell backwards, hitting her head against the wooden flooring. Chika stifled a laugh as the redhead sat back up, tentatively rubbing the back of her head.

“He then brought the knife down, sending several blows to her head and chest. Again and again and again. Then he left her to die. It is said that she can still be seen, screaming as she runs about the field.” You brought her story to an abrupt end, which was quickly followed by Riko screaming loudly. Riko suddenly clamped her hands over her ears yet again as she began to hum an upbeat tune to herself.

Chika laughed aloud, hi-fiving You before they turned to watch Riko. She had closed her eyes, her lips parted slightly as she tried to calm her breathing. You watched with a strange sense of pride; she had set out to scare someone – and she had!

“I hate you sometimes,” Riko muttered, her voice somewhat trance-like as she continued trying to calm herself. As Riko continued to complain, Chika stood up and headed into their brightly lit bathroom. “I hate you so much.”

There were a few concerning sounds as items clattered to the floor and a panicked yelp was heard from the orange-haired girl, before she emerged once more. In her hands, she held a bowl full of water. It threatened to spill over the sides as she tried to place it on the floor, right in the middle of their small circle. Once it had been put in place, Chika rushed away to gather more items.

You and Riko watched, their brows furrowed in confusion as Chika bustled about the room, gathering seemingly random bits and pieces, before settling them beside the bowl. Eventually, Chika managed to collect a blank piece of paper, a pen, three candles and a lighter. Chika was quick to light each candle, placing one in front of each person. She quickly settled back down, the corners of her lips pulled up in a smile.

“Okay! I wanted to freak you two out with a ritual!” Chika clapped her hands together as her eyes examined her friends. Riko’s face deadpanned; when she had agreed to have a scary night with You and Chika, she’d believed that it would just involve watching some scary movies in a dimly lit room.

“A-Are you sure about this, Chika?” Riko stammered, biting her lip as she frowned to herself. It wasn’t that she didn’t trust Chika; she knew that Chika would never purposely do anything to harm them. “I-I might sit out of this one. I’m scared enough already.”

“It’s nothing scary!” Chika smiled innocently, patting Riko’s shoulder reassuringly. Chika knew that the ritual was fake and it wouldn’t actually do anything – or so it had said online. You knew that Chika had been reading into weird things online; Chika had approached her numerous times, wanting to do something new she’d found online. Every time, You had adamantly refused.

This time, however, Chika couldn’t be refused.

“It’s not actually going to do anything! I just thought it might be fun to perform.” Chika giggled, hastily scribbling each of their names on to the sheet of paper. She then tore each name away from the large sheet, dropping them into the bowl. The fresh ink smudged, causing swirls of black and blue to rise within the clear water. The paper quickly turned soggy, drooping at the bottom of the bowl. “Now, you guys have to do as I say!”

You nodded, glancing over at Riko cautiously. Riko’s golden eyes stared down at the bowl, her face set into a nonchalant expression, though her eyes gave away the fear she was hiding inside.

Chika continued, “When I tell you to, you must chant: _hear our pleas: we wish to be bound together, forever_. This has to be said three times; one time for each person present.” She paused, scratching her head. Had she forgotten something? Chika tried to remember the instructions, creating an image of the website in her head as she attempted to reread them. She gasped, “I nearly forgot! You have to chant it one extra time; for the ghost!”

“Ghost?!” Riko’s head immediately shot up.

“Chika, are you _sure_ this is safe?” You shot another worried glance in Riko’s direction. Though You wanted to enjoy their scary night, she also didn’t want to push Riko further than they should. You was somewhat sceptical; Chika had never been so _intent_ on performing her ritual.

“Of course!” Chika grinned, her gaze sweeping across the room once more. Her eyes settled on Riko, trying to reassure her red-haired friend, and then on You. “I want you to chant it in your head, not aloud. Okay?”

“I-I guess…” Riko stammered, her eyes traipsing back towards the bowl. Her wide eyes tried to focus again on the swirls of ink that danced within the water, seeking some sort of comfort. The candles flickered and swayed before them, their glows creating strange waves along the room’s walls.

You released a quiet sigh, before nodding. “Let’s do this.”

“Yay!” Chika’s eyes glimmered as she inhaled deeply. Her eyes fluttered shut before she announced, “Go!”

And so, the three of them began to chant to themselves. Each had their eyes tightly shut, solely focused on getting the ritual correct. None of them wanted to risk messing it up, even though they had convinced themselves that it was nothing more than a silly, fake ritual.

_Hear our pleas: we wish to be bound together, forever._

_Hear our pleas: we wish to be bound together, forever._

_Hear our pleas: we wish to be bound together, forever._

_Hear our pleas: we wish to be bound together, forever._

Chika was the first to open her eyes, followed shortly by Riko. You was the last to open her eyes. Each girl looked around at the others, smiling gently. Chika’s grin was surprisingly wide as she gazed down at the bowl, her intense happiness resonating off of her in thick waves. Riko could have even swore she saw a faint glow outlining Chika’s body, but shook it off as a trick of the light.

Footsteps could be heard in the hallway outside, which told the three of them that they should be preparing to sleep sometime soon. The orphanage, in which they lived, wasn’t very big; it wouldn’t be long before the caretaker made her second round, ready to yell at those that didn’t get into bed on time. To tell the truth, the woman that patrolled the halls during the night scared each of them. She had a loud, booming voice that threatened to knock down every wall in the building. Her shout could deafen anyone within a mile radius of her. Chika began to gather the items, fully aware that the warning knock would be coming soon.

“Light’s out, everyone!” The booming voice came through the door, causing Riko to wince. She blew out the candle, brushing the dust off of her skirt as she stood up. You followed suit, stretching her arms as she released a yawn. You was quick to turn on the lights for their room, not wanting anyone to fall as they went about tidying.

Riko had just gathered her nightwear, heading for the bathroom to change, when the lights suddenly turned out. Each girl was enveloped in complete and utter blackness. Riko released a shrill scream, her heart skipping a beat. Chika gasped, unsure of whether to cry or laugh. You immediately called out to the others. None of them could see a single thing and it terrified them.

The temperature was quickly decreasing, covering the room in an icy shroud as the three of them stumbled about, frantically searching for one another. Their breath came out as barely visible clouds of condensation, confirming that the room was just as cold – if not colder – than they thought.

Each of them searched for someone else – _anyone else_ among the darkness. They wanted some sort of safety. Riko released another scream, trying to fight the tears that threatened to spill. And then each girl froze. There was another presence in the room. An undeniable presence that shocked them to the core.

A young girl giggled, her laugh echoing around the room. “You summoned me. And now I’m here to take you!” She giggled, her laugh increasing in pitch until it sounded insane, maniacal. Chika shivered, squeezing her eyes shut; she was sure that she had to be dreaming. “Isn’t that what you wanted?!”

“No, no, no!” Riko kept spilling denial from her lips, praying that if she denied it enough, then it wouldn’t be happening.

You felt her heart thumping frantically, “Why?!”

The girl continued to giggle, the sound becoming fainter as time passed. When her laugh disappeared altogether, the room began to spin violently. Chika fell sideways, letting out a loud shriek as she collided harshly with the floor. You fell backwards, landing abruptly on her rear end.  Riko stumbled backwards, her arms flailing around her as she desperately tried to keep her balance.

None of them could quite figure out what was going on. They could only try to keep their balance, crying aloud as the room lurched and tipped, throwing their bodies around as if they were mere ragdolls. Chika felt a strange burning sensation in her chest, her arm throbbing where it had made contact with the ground.

As she felt the ground disappearing, she began to pray to herself. She didn’t want to lose her friends; she loved them both so dearly. And yet she knew that the chances of them staying together would be slim, if not impossible. She prayed that, by some miracle, she wouldn’t be alone. She prayed to be with _someone else_.

 

**Will you choose RIKO SAKURAUCHI or YOU WATANABE?**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> remember to head over to my twitter to have your say! what choice will you make? 
> 
> https://twitter.com/alpakotori


	3. Chapter Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> just to clarify, the rest of the chapters will probably end up being split into parts, seeing as the characters aren't with one another. the layout in this chapter will continue through the rest of the story, so i hope it isn't too confusing! 
> 
> it seems you chose you~ was that the right choice to make? have you damned riko? i wish i knew the answer~ ;)

**CHIKA & YOU**

 

As the world hesitantly stopped spinning around her, Chika finally managed to open her eyes. The setting she found around her was simultaneously incredibly similar and yet completely different. She was sat in the middle of what looked to be her room from the orphanage and yet everything was covered in what seemed like years of dust.

One light, near the door, flickered on and off, throwing Chika in and out of darkness. She hesitantly stood up, wincing at the jolt of pain that rushed through her side. Releasing a quiet yelp, she placed her hand upon a dusty, old dresser for support. She was quick to pull her hand away, though, hearing the way the wood crunched beneath her fingertips.

Raising her head, Chika softly called, “H-Hello? Is anyone here?” She peered out of the door from where she stood, which had been left open. Chika couldn’t quite tell if she was relieved; it was good to know that the door could actually be opened, or if she was terrified; anyone could just walk into the room with her.

All she could see outside of the room was pitch black, ominous and scary. The flooring beneath her didn’t look at all stable. Chika could already spy a rather large hole in the flooring outside her room, which she feared would cause her much difficulty.

Taking a deep breath, Chika forced herself to leave the comfort – if her feelings could even be called comfort – of the small room. She glanced left and right as she leaned out of the doorway, finding that there was a long, dimly lit corridor on either side of her. To her left, she could see that the hallway led to some sort of staircase. To her right, the hallway only led into more darkness.

Chika weighed the options in her head for a moment, before a sound to her right caught her attention. Her pink eyes widened. In every horror movie she’d ever seen, the protagonist would die if they ever approached strange noises. And yet, a small hope ignited within Chika. A hope that, perhaps, she wasn’t alone.

Against her better judgement, Chika left the room and turned right. The floorboards creaked precariously beneath her. For the briefest of moments, Chika wished she hadn’t ate Riko _and_ You’s leftover onigiri. But she pushed her lighter thoughts aside, knowing that they weren’t well-suited to her situation.

The sound came again, a little closer this time. Chika froze. It sounded as if someone had fallen over, taking down several items with them. The cluttering echoed a few times, before the sound eventually died, slipping into silence once more. Chika tried to focus her breathing, forcing herself to continue onwards.

“H-Hello?” She repeated, her voice stronger this time. Again, Chika knew that calling out was a horror movie cliché that usually resulted in the character getting killed, but she was unsure of what else she could do.

Chika then came to a halt in front of a wooden door, which was barely holding on to its hinges. Through the cracks, Chika could see into the room, though she couldn’t see much other than a pitch black that was becoming all too familiar. Just as she was about to push on the door, hoping it would budge, she felt her limbs freeze. That same icy shroud descended upon her for the briefest of moments, shivers rippling across her skin.

Perhaps entering the room wasn’t a good idea, after all. Perhaps Chika _should_ listen to her better judgement and turn away. Chika wasn’t sure how she should deal with such a strange situation; if she were with her friends, then she would feel much better. But she couldn’t be sure that the noise she was hearing was friendly.

That same arctic air held her body in place as her mind ran rampant with questions and fears. It was as if Chika could hear a million different voices in her mind, each voice arguing for something different. Chika wanted to scream aloud, wanted to cry, wanted to shout all of her problems to the world.

But she didn’t. She _couldn’t_.

Finally, her mind stopped its incessant yelling. She told herself that she would turn and leave the source of the sound, for her own safety. Unless she was completely sure that something was trustworthy, then she shouldn’t approach anything unknown.

Chika turned on her heel, again suppressing the fears that churned within her stomach. But then she heard a familiar voice, “Chika? Chika!”

The orange-haired girl faced the door again. Her brows knitted together as she squinted, thinking it would help her see into the shadows. But she saw nothing.

And then a pair of eyes popped up.

Chika screamed.

“Chika, don’t scream! It’s me: You!” When Chika’s sharp cry came to an end, she focused her gaze on the glimmering, blue eyes staring at her from within the darkness. She felt a waterfall of relief crashing down upon her body. “Try to keep your voice down; you don’t know who could be out there!”

“Well you didn’t have to pop up like that!” Chika protested.

“I tried opening the door, but it seems jammed.” You explained, her eyes turning downwards. Chika nodded, her eyes also following You’s. She agreed that the door looked rather complicated, from the way it was awkwardly hanging within the doorframe. “I think you’re going to have to help me open it. I don’t know if it’s jammed on my side or your side.”

“Maybe if we both try lifting at the same time?” Chika suggested, taking hold of the handle to give the door a quick shake. Just as You had said, the door wouldn’t budge. The girls could see that the girl was rattling, but for whatever reason, they couldn’t push it very far.

You hummed, “That might work.”

“On three.” Chika instructed, meeting You’s eyes with a gentle smile. As she grasped the door handle once again, she couldn’t ignore the relief bubbling within her stomach. She was so, so happy that she hadn’t been left alone. “One, two, three!”

And yet, as the two friends worked together to lift the door, Chika couldn’t help casting her thoughts to their red-haired friend. It wouldn’t be fair for her and You to be with one another, if Riko was left all alone. But Chika told herself that it would be okay; if she had managed to run into You on the same hallway, then Riko couldn’t be very far away…

Could she?

 

 

**RIKO**

 

When Riko regained consciousness, she found herself staring up at a large ceiling. There were several lights scattered evenly across the ceiling, but only two of them worked. They flickered on and off, doing nothing to dispel the fear that had gathered within the redhead’s stomach.

She was lying rather awkwardly upon what she believed to be a wooden table. Not only that, but her hand was laying in something warm and sticky. Riko shunned the thought as soon as she acknowledged it, unable to even bring herself to see what it was.

Even when Riko was with Chika and You, she found herself being scared by everything. Riko was afraid of the simplest things, like power cuts, broken mirrors and even creaky floorboards – which was rather awkward, as there was a particularly creaky board by the bathroom in the room she shared with Chika and You. Without her braver friends to keep her company, Riko feared that she wouldn’t even last an hour.

Riko was a goner, and even she knew it.

Yet the hope of reuniting with her friends made her sit up. While avoiding glancing towards her hand, she took a better look at her surroundings. The room looked both familiar, but completely new at the same time. The wooden tables, the layout of the chairs, gave her a strange sense of déjà vu.

Riko immediately knew that she was in the orphanage cafeteria. It was a place that she went to every day, with Chika and You. They always chose a table on the far right side of the room, close to the door so they could quickly resume their other activities after eating. While a part of her _knew_ it was the same place, another part of her couldn’t believe that they were one and the same.

On the wall in front of her, to the very right, was a double door, which had been closed rather tightly. She could not see through the glass windows on the door, for it had been covered in something black. Riko wasn’t too sure whether someone had painted over the glass, or blocked the windows with black paper.

Across the rest of the wall was a collection of notes. Each sheet of paper was covered in large handwriting, appearing messy and scribbled. Riko assumed that whoever wrote the notes had been in a rush. It explained why she was unable to read most of the time.

The wood of the tables didn’t seem very stable as Riko tried to push herself onto her feet. It creaked below her, the wood feeling strangely soft beneath her hands. Some of the tables had a dark liquid upon them – Riko didn’t even want to hazard a guess at what it was.

Riko managed to stand on her feet, though she was rather shaky as the pain began to seep in, threatening to drag her body back down to the floor. She finally dared to sneak a glance at her hand, bringing it up to her face. It was covered in thick blood, which slowly dribbled down her arm. Riko gagged, doing the first thing that came to mind: wipe it on her skirt.

Fortunately, it came off of her hand, but the stench remained, hovering around her like a nuisance. She was about to call out for help, when she clapped her _clean_ hand over her mouth. Yelling out was a cliché in every horror movie she’d ever been forced to watch and it was bound to get her killed. It was a bad idea. A _very_ bad idea.

Instead, she quietly, slowly approached the double doors. Trying to peer through the blackness soon proved to be impossible, so she set her mind to attempting to figure out what was blocking them in the first place.

Blood? No.

Paint? Clearly not.

Hair? _Hair!_

Riko gasped and stumbled backwards, tripping over her own two feet. She fell to the floor with an echoing thud. Pain shot through her body again and she did her best to refrain from wincing. Even though she knew that she was completely alone, she didn’t want to appear weak.

The glass was covered in _hair!_ Riko bit down harshly on her lower lip to refrain from screaming aloud. But when two, bright red eyes appeared among the hair, she found that she couldn’t hold back. An ear-piercing scream escaped her mouth as she rolled her body over and frantically pushed herself up.

When she stood safely on her own two feet, she ran. Riko didn’t know where to run to, nor did she have many options, so she merely sprinted to the other side of the room, stopping only when she approached the counter that separated the main dining room from the kitchen area. She hesitantly glanced over her shoulder. But what did she expect to see, other than what had been there a moment before?

The eyes had gone and in front of the door, which was now open, stood a body. Riko turned and looked him up and down, her breathing growing more rapid by the second. Her heart was pounding in her chest and she could feel her hands shaking at her sides. She was scared. Utterly and undeniably terrified.

The boy easily towered over her short frame, his hair a dark blue. But it was unruly, laying in ugly clumps upon his head. His eyes stared down at the floor, shielding his eye colour from her. Riko opened her mouth to address him, but froze. The boy lifted his head.

Red. Bright, piercing red.

Riko screamed again, panic settling within her. She didn’t want to die. She didn’t want to die. She _couldn’t_ die! When the boy began moving towards her, Riko broke into a sprint once again. She dodged and weaved between tables, knocking chairs over behind her in a feeble attempt to slow the boy down.

The red-haired girl made a break for the doors, hearing the crushing of wood as the boy merely stepped on to the chairs that she had thrown in his path, breaking them beneath his feet. Riko felt tears streaming down her cheeks as she bolted through the doors, turning left without a single thought.

Her eyes, clouded with hot tears, darted left and right, trying to find somewhere to hide. There were doors on either side of her, but most of them appeared to be locked and she _knew_ she didn’t have the time to try all of them. So she ran, not even daring to glance over her shoulder. If she looked behind and saw the boy gaining on her, it would only cause her fear to multiply.

Riko spied an ajar door to her right and wasted no time rushing through it. She closed it behind herself, taking care to be quiet. Then she turned to face the room, eyes fighting to find a space to hide. But what Riko found was something completely different.

Another girl stood further in the room, her eyes wide. She wore the same fear on her face that Riko felt inside. They stared at each other for a brief moment, before Riko ducked towards one of the desks, crouching beneath it. The girl, whose hair was short, with a small bun on the right side of her head, merely watched in silence. Riko motioned for the girl to do the same.

Without even stopping to question it, the other girl ducked down, crouching beside Riko as the redhead tried to control her breathing. She heard heavy footsteps approaching the room and Riko desperately prayed that the boy wouldn’t enter. But her prayers were tossed aside. The door burst open, slamming against the wall harshly.

Riko’s heart began to pound against her chest as she could hear the boy entering the room. The girl, who had crouched to Riko’s left, looked just as scared. Her body shook as she clapped a hand over her mouth, trying to mask her hyperventilating.

Riko suddenly felt her body growing cold, her veins constricting as they were filled with an iciness that made her shiver. Her mind was suddenly filled with hundreds of thoughts, some of which she didn’t even believe could be her own. Voices were screaming at her to find a distraction, something to get the boy to leave. She had to do _something_.

But she could only stay crouched under the desk, the girl shaking beside her. When the desk was suddenly thrown from above them, they both screamed. Riko felt that same cold feeling weighing her down. The boy stared down at them, his eyes glowing as if they were fire itself. But they weren’t trained on Riko – they were trained on the girl beside her.

Time seemed to slow as his hand outstretched towards the blue-haired girl, her pink eyes stretched wide as tears swelled within them. Riko knew that she had two choices. From the corner of her eye, she could see that the door was still wide open. While the boy was focused on the other female, she could easily stand and run away, just as her mind was telling her.

After all, she wasn’t brave. She wasn’t like You; when she was faced with danger, she ran away and hid until it went away. But as she crouched beside the stranger, she felt as if _for once_ in her life she might be able to do something brave. As Riko inhaled shakily, she decided.

 

**Will she SACRIFICE HERSELF or RUN AWAY?**

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> to make your choice, head on over to my twitter!
> 
> https://twitter.com/alpakotori


	4. Chapter Three

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> it seems you chose for her to sacrifice herself~ ah, it would be such a shame if riko were to die without much character development... but i suppose her blood would be on your hands, not mine! ;)

**RIKO?**

Before she could convince herself otherwise, Riko pushed the dark-haired girl. The stranger stumbled forward, away from the boy’s hands, which had been slowly inching towards her. A pair of wide, pink eyes glanced back at Riko, mixed with utter shock and confusion.

“Run! _Run!_ ” Riko screamed as she felt the boy’s hand grabbing her by the hair. She released a strangled yelp, her hands immediately moving upwards to fight him off. The girl froze where she was, still staring back at Riko helplessly. “ _Go!_ ”

With that, the other girl pushed herself to her feet, sprinting out of the doorway. Riko watched through tears as the other girl turned the corner, disappearing into the dimly lit corridor. And then Riko felt her true fear settling in. She didn’t regret letting the other girl live – not at all. But she still didn’t want to die.

As the boy lifted her body from the ground, pulling at her hair ever so painfully, she felt sobs and cries escaping her lips. Riko yelled everything she could think of, struggling as best she could. But the boy dragged her along behind himself effortlessly, her feet scraping against the wooden floorboards.

Relentless pleads tumbled from her lips. But the boy wasn’t listening to anything she had to say; he merely dragged her out of the room, beyond the comfort of the dining room. She felt her clothes catching on the broken floorboards, her skirt tearing in several places. Riko felt hot, angry tears streaming down her face and neck, dampening the top of her shirt.

“Stop! Stop, please!” As the boy turned into a pitch black room, Riko tried again, though her throat was raw. Every word she spoke, every breath she took _burned_. It hurt her just to plead for her life, but she didn’t want to give up so easily. “I don’t want to die, I don’t want to die, I don’t want to die!”

Her pleading seemed to not even reach the boy’s ears. Without even flinching, he flung her body upon another table – this one was metal as opposed to wood. Riko felt dry, flaky substances beneath her fingers that made her stomach churn. She didn’t even want to acknowledge what it was, knowing that it would only make her feel sick.

Riko felt a rough material being bound around her wrists and ankles, tying her down to the table. As much as she wanted to fight against it, a part of her knew that it was pointless. Deep down, she knew that she was going to die.

As the boy disappeared from her vision, Riko felt her mind swimming with all sorts of negative thoughts. All of her positivity had been overrun; it was completely swamped out by dark, harsh voices that tempted her towards death. Her eyes fluttered shut as she tried to drown out her mind.

Riko could only lay there, listening as the boy bustled about within the darkness. She heard metal sounds, scraping sounds, thuds. Each sound made her shake more than the last, her heart pounding against her chest. She turned her head, resting her cheek against the cool metal as she stared out of the doorway, her vision cloudy from the tears she didn’t want to shed. They widened momentarily.

Riko saw a glimpse of a girl walking past. Her dark hair streamed out behind her, contrasting with the immaculate, white material of her dress. The girl’s entire body was radiating a bright, warm glow that made Riko’s chest constrict suddenly. There was something so inviting about this figure, something that made Riko want to call out to her.

But the girl merely walked past the doorway, her glow going with her. Riko watched as the light faded away, leaving her again in the darkness that she hated so much. Her wide eyes turned back upwards, a scream escaping her lips when she found the boy hovering over her. His bright, red eyes stared down at her, devoid of any humanity.

When he smiled, the corners of his lips pulling up in a way that was inhumane, Riko saw the blood staining his teeth. She saw things that made her want to throw up, made her question how something so horrible had even happened to her. Again, she turned her head away, trying to ignore her current situation.

And then she heard it. The snipping of scissors.

Slowly, hesitantly, she glanced back towards the boy. The object he held in his hands looked to be bigger than Riko’s entire body. The blades were stained with dry, dark blood – clearly Riko wasn’t his first victim, and she wouldn’t be his last. They seemed to have rusted ever so slightly, but still worked just as well.

Riko felt her entire body shaking and she squeezed her eyes shut. “I’m sorry, Chika. I’m sorry, You.” Her voice trembled as it was swallowed by the silence. It was a struggle to even force her voice to come out, her throat burning immensely. “I should have tried to convince you guys not to do the ritual. Forgive me.”

When Riko felt the blade against her skin, she allowed her mind to fall into complete darkness. Anything was better than facing her own death.

 

 

**CHIKA & YOU**

“Man, that was heavy!” You proclaimed as she emerged from the dark room, scratching the nape of her neck with a shaky smile. Chika nodded in response, glancing up and down the hallway in case someone were to approach them. “This place looks horrible.”

“I know,” Chika frowned, her mind still whirring with thoughts. “We should look for Riko. Imagine leaving her alone in a place like this!”

You nodded, her eyes glazing over with a sudden determination. Neither of them even thought to suggest to split up, knowing that it would be a terrible idea to be alone in such a scary place. Instead, they decided to search together, moving further down the hallway.

You tried each door, finding that she was unable to open most of them. They seemed fixated to the wall in an unnatural way, as if they were merely painted upon the wall for decoration. Any doors that did open only led into more messy rooms, littered with dust and darkness. Riko wasn’t in any of them.

Chika waited outside one of the rooms as You searched, her back pressed against the uneven wood as she crossed her arms over her chest. Her pink eyes stared down at the flooring, her fingers drumming against her arm as thoughts whirled through her mind. She felt bad that she couldn’t do more, she felt bad that it was all _her_ fault. If she hadn’t suggested they do the ritual, they would still be in the comfort of their orphanage, looking forward to the next day.

Chika threw her hands against her head – she didn’t know whether she was trying to push away her negative thoughts or hurt herself for doing something so horrible to her friends. Frustrated tears threatened to spill down her cheeks, her lips shaking as she tried to force them into a thin line.

She lifted her head momentarily, her breath catching in her throat when she felt something – _someone_ – to her left. Immediately, she turned to look, wondering if Riko had somehow found them before they could find her. But the figure that Chika found was too short to be Riko, had too much of a bounce in her step to be her fearful friend.

The shorter figure moved across the hallway with ease, as if she were actually _enjoying_ her situation. Her small hands flapped around at her sides – it seemed like she wanted to break into a skip, but didn’t. Chika frowned confusedly; the figure was shrouded in darkness, disguising most of her features.

Chika wanted to call out, but stopped herself before she could. She glanced over her shoulder, watching as You shrugged, emerging from the dark room. When Chika looked back towards the girl, hoping to tell You so they might catch up with her, there was nothing there. _Nothing_.

You cocked her head, looking at Chika with furrowed brows. “What is it?”

For a moment, Chika debated mentioning the figure. After all, in such a scary place, You couldn’t possibly say it was just her imagination running wild. But, for whatever reason, Chika felt that she couldn’t talk about the girl – a strange voice in the back of her mind told her otherwise.

“Ah, nothing!” Chika smiled, shaking her head.

You nodded, before continuing, “The rest of this hallway is just other rooms. If this place follows the layout of our orphanage, then we’d have better luck going downstairs. We can check the first floor, before going to the other part of the second floor.”

Chika winced; she was fairly certain she had seen the other figure heading towards the first floor. A part of her wanted to stay away, to make sure they didn’t accidentally run into the other girl. But another part of her thought that if this other girl was so happy, then she couldn’t be a bad person.

Chika pushed her own thoughts aside, knowing that she could trust You. The two of them would be able to keep each other safe, so even if they did run into the girl, they would be able to fight her off. Chika was sure of that.

“Sounds like a plan.” She finally said, smiling nervously as You began walking. Chika fell into step beside her, chewing at her lower lip nervously. They made their way back down the hallway, trying not to focus too much on the creaking of the floorboards beneath them.

The lights continued to flicker, providing very little lighting for the two of them. They didn’t know whether that was a blessing or a curse; when it was dark around them, they couldn’t see the things around them and could try to forget where they were, but they were also unable to see if there was any danger around them.

As they made their way down the stairs, Chika felt her heart beginning to pound against her chest. She had believed that it was bad enough on the second floor, where the flooring was littered with holes and the wood seemed to be falling apart. But it was nothing compared to the first floor.

There were blood stains everywhere. Blood spattered the walls, stretching all the way up to the ceiling. There were streaks of blood across the floor, leaving uneven markings upon the wood. It appeared to be so dry that flakes crunched beneath their feet as they walked, making Chika’s stomach churn.

“W-We should head for the cafeteria.” You said, trying to keep her voice strong as her blue eyes darted around the room. She grabbed Chika’s hand, dragging the other girl along behind her. The faster they found Riko, the sooner they could work on getting out of such an _awful_ place. “Can you keep watch for me?”

Chika nodded, lost for words, as her friend disappeared into the cafeteria. As You opened the door, Chika caught a glimpse of what the cafeteria looked like inside; the walls were littered with sheets of paper, all covered in illegible scribbles. The door closed behind the brunette, leaving Chika in the hallway.

She told herself to keep staring at the wall in front of her, but her mind convinced her otherwise. As her eyes darted about the room, she spotted fresh blood markings not too far away from her. They were fairly small, but it was clear that the blood was recent. Chika gulped, glancing behind herself as she moved towards them.

They led further down the corridor and as Chika glanced into the darkness, she saw something else. Among the broken floorboards, she could see pieces of material. Chika refused to move further away from the cafeteria, but the material looked familiar to her; she couldn’t quite place where she had seen it before, but she _knew_ she had.

The orange-haired female straightened up, feeling her hands trembling at her sides. Her breathing hitched as her ears were suddenly assaulted with two, simultaneous screams. One came from the cafeteria, where Chika had just left You. But another came from just down the hallway – it didn’t seem to be too far away.

Chika froze where she was, unsure of what she should do.

 

**Will she GO TO YOU or INVESTIGATE THE OTHER SOUND?**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> as always, to participate in the voting, head over to my twitter!
> 
> https://twitter.com/alpakotori


	5. Chapter Four

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> man, this was a close decision! but it seems like you chose to go back to You after all~ hopefully you don't regret that! ;)

**CHIKA &  YOU**

Chika hesitated for a moment, before turning from the fabric and darting towards the cafeteria, from which she had heard You screaming. The orange-haired girl burst through the double doors, her eyes wide with panic as she searched for the other girl. Chika breathed a sigh of relief when she found You standing on the other side of the room.

“You!” Chika called out, running over to where the brunette stood. You’s body shook as she stood there, her eyes fixated on the wooden flooring. Chika could immediately tell that You had seen something horrible. “You, what happened?!”

The other girl slowly looked up, her features changing when she saw Chika. Immediately, she tried to push her fear aside, forcing a shaky smile on to her face. Chika frowned in response; she didn’t want You to think that she couldn’t handle things.

“You, why did you scream?” Chika asked again, her brows furrowed. Her wide eyes moved to examine the room, trying to find what had scared You so much.

All she could see was blood-stained tables, chairs laying in broken heaps across the floor. There was no sign of the friendly cafeteria she visited everyday. The kitchen area to her left was completely littered with grime and other substances that Chika didn’t even want to name. Her stomach churned and she quickly turned away again.

“I-It’s nothing.” You stammered, unwilling to share the truth with her friend. It wasn’t as if she wanted to lie to her; You just didn’t believe that hearing the truth would be beneficial to Chika at that moment.

Chika trained her eyes back on the other female, “Then why did you scream like that?”

“I nearly tripped over this uneven flooring,” You kicked at the loose floorboard beneath her as if to make a point, “and almost put my hand in the blood on that table.” You’s blue eyes turned to the table beside them, the top of which was covered in thick blood.

Chika furrowed her brows, almost wanting to laugh at You’s clumsiness. Relief coursed through her body; she didn’t know what she would have done if You had actually been hurt. Chika was barely dealing with her own thoughts and feelings, let alone having to take care of You as well.

Just as Chika was about to voice her reliefs, she remembered the other sound. Someone else had been screaming, and they might not have been in a situation as easy as You’s. Chika gulped, fearing that she had left someone – perhaps even _Riko_ – to die by going back to You.

Immediately, her pale hands outstretched, grabbing You’s hands. She tried tugging the other girl along, but her actions were only met with a puzzled frown from the other female.

“What are you doing, Chika?”

“I heard someone else scream when I came back in here.” Chika forced the words from her mouth hurriedly, dread settling within the pits of her stomach. She felt her hands shaking as she tugged You along after her. “We have to check if they’re okay! It might be Riko!”

You felt her heart sink at Chika’s words, but allowed the other female to pull her along. Even though You knew it couldn’t possibly be the redhead, she feared that someone else – another innocent victim – might be in danger. The brunette knew that she had to help them; she refused to leave anyone to die.

As Chika weaved through the broken chairs, pulling You along behind her, she didn’t even notice the other girl’s hesitance. All she could focus on was her desperation to reach the other voice. Before it was too late.

You glanced over her shoulder, looking again at the blood-soaked letter. Tears swelled within her eyes as she bit her lower lip to refrain from frowning. She knew it couldn’t possibly be Riko that they were going to save. You cursed internally as a stray tear slipped down her cheek; as much as she wanted to mourn the loss of her best friend, she knew she didn’t have the time.

The note she had seen was a farewell letter from Riko herself. A letter full of apologies to You and Chika. A letter that expressed how Riko wished she could have been a better friend, how she wished they could have spent more time with one another. You gulped as she recalled the sloppiness of Riko’s handwriting, knowing that her friend had been writing that in _her last moments_.

You fought from releasing a strangled sob as Chika pulled her out of the cafeteria and along the hallway. She instead focused her eyes ahead, into the darkness of the hallway, and told herself to put on a brave front, at least until it was a better time to tell Chika the truth.

 

 

**R!K#??????!?!?!?!?!?!?!?**

**Th!s w4s#’t supP0sssss3d t0 h4p!#$n**

_Screaming._

Riko’s eyes flew open when she heard the sound of screaming, both male and female. But all she could see was the same wooden ceiling that she’d seen before her eyes had closed for – what she’d believed to be – the last time. And then a small object flew overhead.

She turned her head to one side, gasping gently when she saw the stranger fighting against the red-eyed male. The girl, whose name was still unknown to Riko, was crying aloud as she fought to grasp the large scissors from the boy. The boy, who was clearly much taller than the both of them, tried to jab at the girl with another, smaller pair of scissors.

Riko felt panic settling within herself; she didn’t want both of them to die. But she knew there was no way that the smaller girl could be stronger than the male. And yet, as the dark-haired girl threw a harsh kick towards his ankles, Riko felt a glimmer of hope.

The male reeled backwards, releasing the large, rusty scissors from his grip. The girl with the bun gripped them tightly in her hands, though Riko could see how shaky she was. The bloody male straightened again, throwing the smaller weapon towards his opponent. A yelp came from the other girl as she quickly dodged, before lunging towards the male.

Riko winced as she saw the scissors slice his skin. They went right through his stomach and Riko felt a scream escaping from her own lips as he collapsed forward, blood pouring from his mouth as he coughed and spluttered. The bun girl stumbled backwards, her entire body shaking as she stared down at him.

When he finally stopped moving, the girl grasped the smaller scissors and quickly cut the rope that bound Riko to the metal table. As soon as Riko was able to stand on her own feet, she felt the other girl pulling her along. They ran through hallways, the other girl stumbling occasionally but apologising as she regained her consciousness.

“Why did you-Why did you save me?” Riko panted as she sprinted along behind the other girl, feeling the iron-tight grip around her wrist. Her eyes were wide as she stared at the girl’s back, unsure of how she could truly convey her gratitude. “You could have died!”

“And you _would_ have died if I hadn’t come for you.” The girl replied, her voice urgent as she tugged Riko into a room on the first floor. Riko recognized it as one of the classrooms; some of the people from the orphanage would attend school at the orphanage because it was easier for them to be around people they already knew. “I couldn’t let you die after you’d risked yourself to save me.”

Riko halted in the middle of the room as the other girl walked to the front, appearing slightly bent over. The other girl walked until she was at the teacher’s desk, at the right corner of the front of the room. She then sat behind the desk, releasing a sigh of relief.

“Th-Thank you.” Riko stammered, seating herself upon one of the desks. She stared down at her hands, shocked just to be alive. In her mind, she had accepted her death; she told herself that there was no hope for her. “What’s your name?”

“Yohane.”

“I’m Riko.”

The girl – Yohane – smiled. “It’s nice to meet you, Riko.” Riko frowned; even Yohane’s smile seemed slightly strained.

“You, too. And thank you again for saving me.” Riko bowed her head slightly, knowing that she would never truly be able to repay Yohane for what she had done. Releasing a short sigh, Riko turned to look around the classroom. Though she had never really used it all that often, it saddened her to see it in such a state.

She remembered how bright the room was, littered with positive messages and helpful study tips on brightly coloured paper. Each table had been painted a different colour of the rainbow, to encourage the other people at the orphanage to enjoy their learning a bit more. Riko trailed her fingers across the desk she sat on, whose colour had faded beyond recognition.

Yohane’s voice brought her out of her daze, “How did you end up here?”

“My friends and I did some stupid ritual that my friend found online. As soon as we finished it, everything started going all wrong. The room was spinning, and the lights went out, and when I opened my eyes again, I was laying in that cafeteria.” Riko recalled the events, suppressing the shudder that longed to run down her spine. She didn’t even want to acknowledge that merely hours ago, she had been with her best friends in the comfort of their room, just laughing and spending time together. “I should have told them to call it a night before they could even do the damn thing.”

When Yohane didn’t respond, Riko raised her head. Yohane’s pink eyes were wide as she stared down at the desk. Her dark brows furrowed, knitting together as a look of shock settled upon her face.

“Yohane, what’s wrong?”

“M-My friend and I also performed a ritual.” She responded, her voice hesitant as she spoke. For the longest time, Yohane hadn’t wanted to believe that a _ritual_ could have put her in such an awful mess, but hearing Riko’s response only made her fears seem all the more real.

“N-No way…” It was Riko’s turn to look shocked.

Both of them seemed to have been hit with the same realisation; it was the ritual that had put them in their current position. If they hadn’t taken part in something so silly, they would never have ended up in such a scary situation.

“But why? _How_?!” Yohane’s voice was quivering as she released her protests, though the two girls knew that complaining wasn’t going to help them at all.

Riko opened her mouth to speak, but was cut off when Yohane released a strangled cry. Riko watched as the other girl doubled over, clutching her side. The redhead immediately jumped up, rushing to the front of the room to see what was wrong.

“Y-Yohane! Are you okay?” She held a hand out to the other girl but froze.

Blood.

Riko could see blood staining Yohane’s clothes on her right side. She suddenly felt anger flooding through her veins; she was angry at herself for not noticing sooner. The red-haired female was certain that Yohane had gotten the injury when she’d been fighting with the tall, red-eyed male.

“W-We have to get you to the nurse’s office. Now!” Riko gently lifted Yohane from where she sat, throwing an arm around her torso to support her. Yohane continued to protest, claiming that she would be fine, that venturing from the classroom wasn’t worth it, but Riko ignored her, leading her out of the classroom. “This is why you shouldn’t have come back for me.”

“I’m tired of seeing people die, Riko. I wasn’t going to let you die as well.” Yohane forced her words out, trying to ignore the burning pain. She assumed that she hadn’t felt it earlier due to the adrenaline rushing through her body. Now that her adrenaline had subsided, she found it difficult to suppress the pain at her side.

“What do you mean? How long have you been here?” Riko asked as she turned the corner, spying the nurse’s office just up ahead. For some reason, Riko had assumed that Yohane had arrived at the same time as her – she hadn’t even considered that Yohane might have been there for longer. The thought seemed so daunting that she didn’t even want to consider the possibility.

“Months. A year, maybe.” Yohane responded as they turned into the nurse’s office. Riko led her over to one of the beds, wincing as it creaked loudly. She then rushed over to one of the dirty cabinets, searching for something to use. “You lose track of time when you’re in a place like this.”

Riko grabbed bandages and something to clean the wound before returning to Yohane’s side. Fortunately, the wound didn’t look fatal. As Riko crouched down, she gently cleaned the wound out, trying to block out Yohane’s cries. When she had finished cleaning the wound, she tied bandages around Yohane’s torso, allowing the other girl to pull her shirt back down.

“I’m so sorry, Yohane. I can’t even imagine what that must be like.” Riko stood back up again, frowning down at the other girl. Yohane simply nodded, turning away from her with a saddened look upon her features.

“I’m going to try and get some rest. Do you mind keeping an eye out?” Yohane asked as she lay down on the bed, trying to move without affecting her wound too much. Riko nodded, patting Yohane’s head gently before taking a seat on one of the other beds.

It didn’t take long for Yohane to doze off, her features growing more open, vulnerable. Riko watched the girl with a sad smile; she didn’t want to believe that Yohane had been trapped in such an awful place _by herself_ for so long.

Riko felt her heart stop when the door inched open. She jumped up, instinctively wanting to call out to the other girl, but bit her lip. Yohane needed to rest, so Riko would have to fight them off on her own – it was the least she could do to repay the dark-haired girl.

But nobody entered. Riko felt her brows furrow as she peered through the crack in the door. And then someone ran past. Riko stumbled backwards, her eyes wide. She immediately went to run after them, her heart pounding against her chest as hope settled within her.

The figure had been the same height as Chika. The figure had even had the same hair as Chika! Riko _knew_ that it had to be Chika, from the way the figure had energetically sprinted past the door, giggling loudly. That flash of orange hair made Riko move towards the door instinctively.

Then she froze. She remembered that she had promised to keep watch over Yohane. It would be wrong to leave her behind. And yet she had the opportunity to reunite with Chika, if she just followed the orange hair. Her hand froze midway between the door and her side, her mind taunting her.

 

**Will she WATCH YOHANE or SEARCH FOR CHIKA?**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> as always, remember to head over to my twitter to take part in the vote!
> 
> https://twitter.com/alpakotori


	6. Chapter Five

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> it seems you chose to watch over yohane! though even i think that would have been the logical choice - but was it the right one? who knows~ you may have just led chika to her death! ;3

**R!KO & YOHANE**

Riko took one last look towards the ajar door, before she turned away. There was no way she could abandon Yohane, not after the other girl had risked her life trying to save her. As Riko quietly closed the door again, she laughed at the mere thought that she could possibly abandon her saviour, especially knowing that Yohane had spent _so long_ by herself.

Releasing a tired sigh, Riko glanced around the darkened room, wondering if she could be of some use while Yohane was regaining her strength. She walked over to the medicine cabinet, now able to take a proper look at the contents. Unlike the rest of the building, the medicine cabinet appeared fairly organised; each bottle had been neatly lined up – and in alphabetical order.

Each small jar had been labelled with a name too complicated for Riko to recognize, though she could tell from some of the warnings that certain jars were more dangerous than others. She flicked through a few of the bottles, wondering if it would be a good idea to take some with her, in case there came a time when she needed it.

Riko bit her lip, before shaking her head. She placed the bottles back in order, fearing that she might spill one of them if she took them. After that, she closed the creaky, rusted doors and turned away. Her wide eyes turned to the nurse’s desk, on the other side of the room.

The desk itself had been wearing away, one of the wooden legs covered in a dirty green moss that made Riko frown. She approached the desk slowly, pushing the chair aside so that she could access it better. It was a lot messier than she remembered it to be, with papers strewn everywhere – the writing on the papers was so messy that she couldn’t possibly read it.

The redhead began flicking through drawers, finding just what she expected; medical equipment, what appeared to be documents about orphans and sticky notes. Riko flicked quickly through the documents, finding that most of the people were strangers to her. Her eyes darted around the pages, trying to find information that could be useful to her.

Then she gasped softly.

Her eyes had stumbled upon the date. All of the papers were marked with the year 2003. Riko furrowed her brows, shaking her head. The orphanage she was standing in was from 2003. Her fingers shook gently as she flicked through the rest of the pages, before she froze again. She delicately pulled a single piece of paper from the pile.

_Yoshiko Tsushima._

Riko’s eyes darted towards the bed, on which the dark-haired female was peacefully resting. She seemed to stir in her sleep as Riko felt bile rising in her throat. The picture on the paper perfectly matched the female sleeping in the very same room as her. As soon as her initial shock subsided, she felt sadness invading her entire body.

Yohane seemed to believe that she had only been in there for a few months, but from the documents, that wasn’t the case at all. Riko wanted to cry for the other female, but she also wanted to cry from shame towards herself; she had the _audacity_ to complain when she’d only been trapped for a few hours. Riko gripped the paper in her hand, wanting to scream at herself for being so oblivious. But she knew that she couldn’t possibly have known.

Breathing heavily, she placed the paper aside, flicking through the rest of them. All sorts of assorted names popped up before her eyes: _Seiko, Kanan, Naomi, Hanamaru, Dia, Ayumi, Ruby, Mari_. None of them seemed familiar to Riko, so she simply tossed the papers aside, wanting to find some more information to take her mind off of what she had just found out about Yohane.

Her hands suddenly brushed across a leather cover. Riko stopped, examining what she had just found. Her fingers rested upon what appeared to be a diary. With furrowed brows, she took it in her hands and began to flick through it. The first through pages didn’t offer much that seemed of use to Riko.

And then she saw familiar names popping up. Her heart caught in her chest.

 

 

**CHIKA & YOU**

As Chika sprinted along, she barely even noticed the hesitance of her friend following along behind her. All the orange-haired girl could focus on was reaching the other person before it was too late. She pulled You past the nurse’s office, coming to an end as the hallway reached an end.

Chika peered into one of the doors on either side, unsure of whether she should call out. She glanced over her shoulder at You, who could only nod at the other girl. You avoided meeting Chika’s eyes directly, instead glancing behind her at the wall.

“H-Hello?” Chika called out, releasing You’s hand to approach one of the door’s. She stuck her head around the door frame, greeted by the sight of one of the orphanage’s classrooms. Every bright, vibrant colour had faded to almost a dull grey, doing nothing to calm Chika’s nerves.

Her wide eyes darted around the room, before she spied something moving. Chika focused on the corner of the room, just behind the teacher’s desk. She could clearly see the top of someone’s head; were they hiding? Chika gestured for You to enter the classroom with her.

“Hello?” Chika called out again, this time making her voice softer. She didn’t want to scare the other person. As they headed into the room, Chika saw the head suddenly move. Before she could even blink, there was a female standing in front of them.

In her hands, she held a knife. It was pointed towards them, the stranger’s purple eyes wide and full of fear. Her fingers trembled as she held the weapon towards them, her dark-blue hair bouncing behind her.

Chika released a yelp and stumbled backwards, bumping into You clumsily. The two of them fell backwards, barely managing to regain their balance before they fell to the floor completely. Despite their clumsiness, the other female didn’t even flinch; she continued holding the knife towards them, though there was now confusing mixing with the fear in her eyes.

“Who are you?!” Her voice came out rather aggressively, which shocked Chika. Chika’s pink eyes again became wide as she straightened up, suddenly unsure of whether chasing the sound had been a good idea. She had wanted to make sure that nobody was in trouble, but she hadn’t expected to come across someone that seemed willing to kill them. “I said: who are you?!”

“I-I’m Chika!” The orange-haired female squeaked.

“I’m You.” You’s voice was stronger as she stepped in front of Chika protectively, wanting to put more distance between her friend and the weapon.

The other girl seemed to relax her grip on the knife ever so slightly, but still held it out in front of her. “Why are you here?”

“W-We performed a ritual and everything went wrong.” Chika tried to explain, though she stumbled over her words. She wasn’t too sure why the other girl was so scared, but she didn’t want to push her any further. “Now we’re stuck here and we don’t know how to get out.”

Chika saw a flash of recognition in the other girl’s eyes and she slowly lowered the knife to her side, inhaling deeply. The dark-haired girl straightened her back, closing her eyes as she tried to calm herself. You blinked a few times, before stepping back to Chika’s side.

“My friend and I also performed a ritual.” The other girl explained, glancing away from Chika and You. “I always thought it was the ritual that brought us here, but I can never figure out why. Goddamn it.”

You hesitantly spoke up, “What’s your name? How long have you been here?”

“I’m Kanan.” The other girl responded, her voice finally levelling out. “I couldn’t tell you how long I’ve been here; I lost count months ago.” Kanan raised a hand and gestured to the board behind her, on which Chika and You could see dozens of little marks. When Chika realised it was a tally, she gasped.

“I’m so sorry…” Chika whispered, unsure of what else she could say.

“I ran out of space so I stopped counting.” Kanan explained, her fingers brushing lightly against the old marks. Chika and You felt sympathetic towards the girl, so they remained quiet as she continued to speak. “I’ve been searching for answers the whole time I’ve been here, but I still don’t even know where to start.”

“We got here earlier. A few hours ago, I think.” You added, her eyes dropping. She stared down at the ground in silence, unsure of what she could say. The fact that her and Chika had been complaining about their situation made You feel horrible; they didn’t even know the true extent of pain that other people had been feeling.

“I figured someone else had come along. Something felt… different, somehow.” Kanan nodded, turning back to face the other two. Chika could see that Kanan’s clothing was torn in different places; her shirt had been ripped towards the bottom, exposing a nasty scar across her stomach. “You two are lucky you ended up with one another.”

You quirked a brow, glancing towards Chika.

“My friend and I weren’t so lucky.” Kanan added to her point, nodding towards the two of them. There was a sad look that made her eyes appear glassy, the corners of her lips pulling downwards. “At this point, I’m pretty sure she’s dead.”

Chika and You fell silent at that. Chika wasn’t sure what she could say to cheer up Kanan, but she knew that she didn’t want to leave the other girl on her own for any longer. You bit her lower lip, trying to hold back her own tears; she kept trying to push the thought of Riko from her mind, but it kept resurfacing, each thought feeling more painful than the last.

“You should come with us. There’s safety in numbers!” Chika grinned, her eyes regaining their hopeful sparkle as Kanan raised her head. Chika outstretched her hand, palm facing upwards as she met Kanan’s eyes confidently. “What do you say?”

Kanan hesitated for a moment, her wide eyes unsure. She wasn’t hesitant because she didn’t trust the other two – despite having only just met them, she could tell that they weren’t malicious, like everything else she’d encountered since becoming trapped. She just didn’t want to grow attached to someone else and then lose them, the way she had been separated from her friend after they stupidly performed the ritual.

Chika noticed Kanan’s hesitance and took a step forward, still upholding her smile. And then that smile disappeared as the flooring began to break beneath her. She released a yelp, stuck between Kanan and You. Chika glanced over her shoulder, seeing her brunette friend’s eyes gloss over with fear.

But she knew that Kanan would fall if she didn’t try to do something. With few seconds to make a decision, Chika felt her heart pounding harshly against her ribcage, threatening to burst through her skin.

 

**Will she GRAB YOU’S HAND or GRAB KANAN’S HAND?**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> remember to make your voice heard by heading over to my twitter!
> 
> https://twitter.com/alpakotori


	7. Chapter Six

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> looks like you chose to go with kanan~ i hope this consequence doesn't frustrate you too much!
> 
> also i just thought i should put this here but sorry if this chapter feels a little weirder - i wasn't too confident with it but i needed to just get something down c': i'll be a lot more confident with the next chapter, so pls don't worry!

**CH!K4 & Y?U & K4N###N**

Chika threw another worried glance towards You, before pushing herself forward, despite the crumbling flooring beneath her. She grasped Kanan’s pale hand tightly in her hand, trying to pull her body back in order to grasp You. But as the flooring disappeared from beneath her, Chika felt her stomach churning as she fell.

You screamed aloud, rushing forward to grasp Chika’s hand. You’s fingers wrapped tightly around Chika’s palm, her nails digging into the skin from the force of her grip. Her blue eyes were wide as she desperately tried to pull the other two girls back up.

But Chika’s hand began to slip. You’s cries became more desperate.

Then emptiness.

Where Chika’s hand had been enveloped by You’s shaking fingertips, there was nothing. Chika felt the air rushing around her as she tumbled through the open space, You’s figure growing smaller as she got further away. Kanan grasped Chika’s hand even tighter, her purple eyes blown wide.

“Damn it!” Kanan yelled out, pulling Chika’s body towards her own. Kanan’s arms wrapped around Chika’s body tightly as they prepared for impact. Both of them squeezed their eyes shut, though they were already surrounded by immense darkness.

“I’m sorry…” Chika mumbled aloud, her words drifting into the harsh air whipping against her body. A stray tear slipped down her cheek.

And then there was pain.

 

 

**R!K0 & YOHANE**

Riko felt her hands begin to shake as her eyes stumbled upon the neat words written in the diary. From what she could tell, it had been written by a girl of around her own age. And yet there was a childish tone to the words, something Riko couldn’t quite put her finger on.

_Today I spent time with Yoshiko and ?????. It was a lot of fun! I felt a little bad for leaving ???? but she was meeting up with some friends anyway. ???? said that we should spend some time together as a big group sometime – I’m looking forward to it!_

There were some names that had been scribbled over in a thick, black ink. Riko felt her brows furrowing as she read further, noticing each time Yohane’s – or Yoshiko, Riko wasn’t too sure how to address the girl – name popped up. Despite the sickness that swirled in her stomach, Riko pushed herself to keep reading.

It was only as she turned towards the last few pages that she began to find things that truly scared her. Things that she thought might explain their situation, but she didn’t want to believe it.

_How could they how could they how could they how could they how could they how could they how could they how could they how could they HOW COULD THEY_

Riko frantically flicked through the pages, finding several sheets that had been covered in scribbles, which tore through several sheets of paper from the sheer force. She couldn’t quite make sense of what she was seeing. And then she found the last page.

_???? died. It’s my fault. But it’s also their fault. I won’t let them get away with this._

With that, Riko felt the same iciness descending upon the room. She dropped the diary, trying to suppress her screams. Suddenly she didn’t feel safe. It wasn’t safe in that room. As Riko felt her limbs turning to ice, she tried to turn so that she could wake Yohane and they could leave.

But she couldn’t move.

All Riko could do was stand where she was, her eyes glancing towards the bed where Yohane still slept peacefully. Again, the dark-haired girl stirred in her sleep. She turned on to her side, wincing and cursing in her sleep before turning back over.

But as the door creaked open, Riko felt her eyes going wide. A figure peered through the door, but Riko couldn’t make out a single feature on their face; it was as if they were nothing more than a shadow. Their entire body was surrounded by dark tendrils, which curled and twisted around the door frame.

Riko’s breathing hitched. Her chest rose and fell frantically, in time with her suddenly rapid breathing. She stretched her mouth wide, aiming to scream so she could wake Yohane and help her escape the danger.

But her voice didn’t come.

“Why would you want to scream? That would hurt my feelings.” The shadow figure addressed Yohane with a voice – except, it sounded more like a mix of several voices. There was some sarcasm laced into the demonic voice and it released a clipped laugh. “I’m just kidding! But I am a little offended.”

Riko could only gulp, frozen to the spot. As much as she wanted to wake Yohane and run, she found that her limbs wouldn’t – _couldn’t_ – respond to the commands from her brain.

“What made you think it was okay to read other people’s diaries?” The shadowy figure took a step into the room. The temperature continued to fall, until frost began to appear around the edges of the flooring, inching further and further into the room. It seemed to follow the figure. “Though I suppose it _was_ my fault for leaving it here!”

The redhead’s breath came out as visible clouds before her, showing just how cold the room was becoming. Still, Riko worried for Yohane. She didn’t want the dark-haired girl to be hurt by this entity.

“So, tell me! Was it interesting?” The shadowy figure moved past Riko, grasping the diary that lay open on the floor. As the figure turned back to Riko, she could see a demonic, inhumane grin that spread across their face. A pair of bright eyes stared at her through the darkness surrounding them.

“You… You’re responsible for this, aren’t you?” Riko hissed through gritted teeth.

The figure seemed taken aback momentarily, but quickly laughed. “It depends how you see it!” The figure grasped the diary tightly to their chest, the grin returning to their face. “Someone like yourself would see it as _my_ fault! But I’d like to assign the blame to others. Like your friend over there.”

Riko felt a surge of protectiveness washing over her as the person moved towards Yohane, the frost following them. They seemed to hover above the dark-haired girl, their eyes staring down with an immense hatred that Riko didn’t even believe was possible.

It was only when Riko saw the other girl shivering under the gaze of the figure that Riko cried out, “Step away from her!” Her voice quivered as she addressed the shadows harshly, knowing that it could easily end badly for her. But her life had been on the line once already; she didn’t mind doing it all over again.

At least she would be able to save Yohane.

“I’m not sure you’d want to protect her if you knew what she’d done!” Before Riko could even blink, the shadows were stood right in front of her. She felt her entire body becoming numb from the immense cold. But she tried to stand her ground, staring back at the entity with a harsh glare. “To tell you the truth, I’ve been trying to get a hold of her for so long, but she kept getting away. So I want to say thank you for leading her to me!”

Riko cried aloud as the figure whipped around, moving back towards Yohane at the speed of light. She watched as Yohane’s lips slowly turned blue, her protests falling upon deaf ears. Her mind processed a million thoughts a minute as she tried to figure out how she could save Yohane yet again.

“Wait! _Wait!_ ” Riko’s shrill voice caught the shadow’s attention that time. “Take me instead. I know you might feel hatred towards Yohane and I don’t know what she’s done, but I want you to take your anger out on me instead.”

“Hm, are you sure about that?”

Riko breathed deeply, her eyes darting towards the sleeping girl once more. “I’m certain.”

The shadowy figure seemed to ponder the offer for a moment, their head cocked to one side. Riko threw another beg towards them and she saw their eyes narrow. Her hands were trembling at her sides; as much as she didn’t want to die, she had already accepted her own death once and she knew that she could do it again.

But as the figure moved towards her, she felt the back of her mind begging her to rethink her choices. A ball of dread had settled within her stomach, one that reminded her that her friends were out there. When Riko thought about Chika and You, she remembered that she wanted to be reunited with them again. She wanted to spend more time with them. Perhaps they would even like Yohane, Riko hoped.

But Riko was also tired. She was tired of fearing what was around every corner. All she wanted was to leave that awful place, be it dead or alive. And as long as she could save Yohane’s life, she knew that she would be able to die happily.

Riko felt the thoughts colliding in her head.

 

**Will Riko GIVE UP or FIGHT ON?**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> as always, head over to my twitter to vote!
> 
> https://twitter.com/alpakotori


	8. Chapter Seven

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm really sorry i missed the upload yesterday! as i said on twitter, i had a lot of shit going on and it got a little overwhelming so i apologise for being late! but it seems you guys chose for her to fight on! i know i said the decision seemed more straightforward, but who knows what twists i could have had hiding up my sleeve~? ;D

**R!K0 & Y0#ANE**

Before she could convince herself otherwise, Riko screamed aloud. It was a scream that managed to startle Yohane awake, just as the redhead had intended. Despite Yohane’s shivering, she forced herself to jump out of the bed, paying no attention to her injury.

The shadowy figure whipped around, their eyes blown wide. Riko could see the look of anger settling within their features, could feel the ground shaking beneath her own feet. Her eyes met Yohane’s for a split second and there seemed to be a mutual agreement between the two of them: their only goal was to get out.

Yohane nodded, bolting towards the door as the shadowy figure cried aloud. Riko took a deep breath, her eyes darting towards the diary in the figure’s hands. Without overthinking it, the red-haired female lunged forward, tearing the diary from among the dark tendrils, before sprinting towards the door.

She wasn’t too sure why she felt she needed to take it, but she didn’t want to leave it behind. If possible, she wanted to talk to Yohane about why her name was mentioned in there. She wanted to try and get as much information as possible; the more she knew, the more likely it was that she could find a way to escape.

“That was rude!” Riko heard the figure shout towards them, the voice bouncing off each wall menacingly. She squeezed her eyes shut, focusing on nothing more than getting away. She could see Yohane running up ahead, clutching her side as she turned a corner. “You can run for now, but your death is inevitable!”

Harsh laughter echoed around the two girls as they ran, despite having no clear destination in mind. Riko could only push herself to catch up with Yohane, clutching the diary tightly to her chest. Yohane had slowed down slightly – Riko wasn’t sure if it was because her injury was affecting her, or she was waiting for the other girl to catch up.

“Th-Thanks for waking me.” Yohane panted as she ran alongside Riko, still feeling a little cold from the atmosphere of the room. She couldn’t suppress the shivers within her body, but she could push them aside to focus on saving her own life. “W-Who was that?”

“The person responsible for this. I-I think.” Riko responded, glancing over her shoulder. There was no sign of the dark tendrils chasing after them. With another clipped nod towards Yohane, Riko headed into a room to their left. “But I don’t know their name.”

“The person responsible?” Yohane closed the door behind them, again wincing as she tried to catch her breath. She walked further into the room, before leaning against one of the tables.

“Yeah,” Riko frowned, glancing down at the diary in her hands. “I found this.”

Yohane looked towards Riko, furrowing her brows when she saw the diary in her hands. Before she could protest, Riko pushed it towards her. The dark-haired girl fell silent, her fingers closing around the spine of the book.

“I think it belongs to the figure we just saw.” Riko said calmly, “And I think you should read it.”

Yohane’s pink eyes stared back at Riko blankly for a moment, before she began to read the words in front of her. Riko could see the look of confusion upon her friend’s face, before it turned to recognition. And then that recognition turned to fear. The dark-haired female’s hands began to shake as she clutched the diary.

“Yohane?”

“N-No. This person can’t be responsible.” Yohane protested, her voice wavering slightly. She threw the diary away from herself, her fingertips trembling. Her eyes dropped to the floor, avoiding Riko’s concerned gaze. “You’ve got it wrong.”

“But-“

“I said _no_!”

“Yohane…” Riko frowned, feeling sympathetic towards the other girl. “What happened?”

“It wasn’t her. I didn’t mean for anything to happen!” Yohane protested. Only then did Riko see the tears on her cheeks, the way Yohane’s bottom lip was trembling. Riko’s eyes widened; she didn’t mean to push the other girl that far. “It wasn’t my fault!”

Riko wanted to say something more, but simply bit her lower lip as Yohane released a pitiful sob, her knees threatening to buckle beneath herself. She squeezed her eyes shut, shaking her head as if to shake the accusation from her mind; despite the doubts inside herself, she _refused_ to acknowledge what Riko was implying. It couldn’t be true.

“Calm down. Calm down!” Riko approached the other girl, placing her hands on her shoulders. She gave her a quick shake, trying to knock some sense into her. Yohane’s eyes were wide as she stared back at Riko, tears still streaming down her face. “Everything’s okay.”

Just as Yohane was about to say something else, her voice was interrupted by a sharp scream. The two girls turned towards the door, their breathing catching in their throat. As much as Riko wanted to talk to Yohane about what was going on, she also knew that they couldn’t leave someone in danger.

Riko released a short sigh, pulling Yohane into a brief hug. The other female was taken back momentarily, her arms frozen at her sides and her eyes wide as they stared past Riko’s back. Yohane couldn’t remember how long it had been since she had felt _warmth_ and _love_ from another human being. More tears gathered in her eyes.

“We can talk later. For now, we need to help.” Riko said, pulling away and meeting Yohane’s eyes with a small smile. There was a fluttering of realisation within her chest; for once, she was being brave instead of hiding away. For the first time ever, she wasn’t cowering away.

For so long, Riko had been scared of every little thing. She had cowered away from loud noises or dark rooms or even creepy websites. But when she was being faced with a true danger – one that could even result in her losing her life, she was able to show strength.

And she was proud.

 

 

**Y0U 4LL 4L0N####E**

It couldn’t be happening. There was no way You had lost _both_ of her best friends in one day. It was impossible. It _had_ to be. As You sat in the room, her hands clapped over her ears, those were the thoughts swimming through her mind. Those were the thoughts leaping through her brain, pushing away any traitorous whispers that tried to suggest otherwise.

She refused to accept what had happened. You told herself that there was a secret level below the school that she hadn’t known about – she could find Chika there. You told herself that the fall wouldn’t have hurt Chika at all. Despite the low chance of it happening, You told herself that Chika had softened her fall. Maybe even Kanan would be all right, too!

“Chika! _Chika_!” You could only force one word to leave her lips, her voice becoming hoarse and frantic. Tears streamed down her cheeks, falling to her chest as shaken sobs wracked her entire body. “Chika, Chika, Chika!”

But her darker thoughts kept pushing forward, surging together to overthrow her false positivity. These shadowy thoughts told her that Chika wasn’t going to be alive. These thoughts told her that everything was _her_ fault; she had killed both of her best friends.

What was the point in fighting when she had no one to fight for? You released another scream, wanting nothing more than to sit and wallow forever. But as she sniffed, trying to bring her tears to an end, she tried to find a fighting spirit within herself. A fighting spirit that would find Chika safe and sound, so they could be reunited with Riko.

Ignoring the tears, You pushed herself upwards, turning towards the door. And then she stopped.

There was another female stood in the doorway. Their emerald eyes were wide, their lips drawn apart in a small ‘o’. You felt her hands shaking at her sides – she didn’t want to deal with anyone else in that moment. She just wanted her _friends_.

“I-Is everything okay?” The girl asked, her voice hesitant. Her bright red hair fell over her shoulder as she cocked her head, her eyes staring toward You with concern hidden within them. “I-I heard screaming.”

“I’m sorry, I have to find someone.” You’s voice was barely a croak as she began moving towards the doorway. She felt a little bad for ignoring the other female; after all, they had probably been trapped by themselves and needed company. “If you want to come with me, you can. But I don’t have the time to talk.”

“D-Did your friend fall through that hole?” The shorter girl pointed towards the gap behind You. The brunette didn’t want to look back, refusing to acknowledge something she could have prevented. She merely responded with a clipped nod. “I-I’ll help! I hope she’s okay.”

“Sure,” You murmured, not even registering what the other girl was saying.

She simply stormed out of the room, marching in whatever direction her mind told her was correct. Her mind, which was usually so clear and concise, had been darkened by ugly storm clouds that made it difficult to concentrate. You heard quick, quiet footsteps shuffling along behind her and she knew that the other female had decided to follow.

“S-So, my name’s Ruby!” The other girl continued to talk as You stormed along, sort of paying attention, but mostly focusing on finding Chika. Usually, she would have felt a little rude for her lack of conversation, but in that moment, she couldn’t bring herself to care about anything other than her cheerful friend. “What’s your name?”

“You.”

“That’s a pretty name!” Ruby’s voice was strangely childlike, You noticed. There was a chirpiness to it that You wouldn’t have expected in such an awful place, but she could understand; perhaps it was Ruby’s way of coping. Perhaps Ruby didn’t want to acknowledge the horrors she had found herself in, and so she pushed them away by putting on a façade. It almost reminded You of Chika. “Y-Your friend should be on a lower floor, right? If she fell through, I-I can only assume there must be another floor below this.”

“Yeah.”

“Y-You don’t seem to be paying much attention to what I’m saying.” Ruby released a nervous laugh and You frowned. Just as she turned to say something, she felt a chill down her spine. A familiar iciness settled around her, one that made her stomach churn. “I-I think I know an easy way to the lower floor.”

You fought against the tremors shaking her body. “How?”

“W-Well, I’ve been here quite a while. I-I’ve had the time to explore.” Ruby explained, her vibrant eyes being covered by a saddened gloss. You felt sympathetic, but still couldn’t shake the coldness. “L-Let’s go. And hopefully we find your friend!”

As much as You wanted to nod, she couldn’t shake the feeling that there was something _wrong_. She wanted to go with the other girl, but she also believed that following her heart would lead her to where Chika was waiting. Though she didn’t have much knowledge about the layout of the place, she thought that she might be able to find _something_.

And yet she knew that Ruby was right – she _had_ been there longer and probably had a much better knowledge. Going with her would prove to be more efficient; they would find Chika faster and they would be able to help her if it was needed. You bit her lip, feeling a little bad for doubting the other female.

Bu she couldn’t shake her initial thoughts.

With a trembling lower lip, You decided.

 

**Will You TRUST RUBY or BELIEVE IN HERSELF?**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> as always, remember to make your choice heard!
> 
> https://twitter.com/alpakotori


	9. Chapter Eight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oooo it seems y'all chose to go with ruby~ i suppose there is safety in numbers, after all ;)

**Y0#### & RUBY**

“I’d really appreciate you showing me the way. Thank you.” You nodded, shaking the cold feeling that lingered over her. She felt a small smile tugging at her lips as she saw the excitement on the other girl’s face.

“T-Then let’s go!” Ruby seemed to hesitate for a moment, before gesturing for You to follow along behind her. They shuffled along through the dimly lit hallway, Ruby’s hands clutched tightly in front of her stomach. You watched the shorter girl with sympathetic eyes; it was clear to You that Ruby had been trapped there for far too long. “W-What’s your friend’s name?”

You’s eyes widened momentarily, taken aback by the idea of small talk; in the few hours she had been there, she had forgotten about such mundane things. “Chika. Chika Takami.”

“That’s a nice name!”

“She’s a really nice person.” You elaborated, conflicting feelings arising in her chest. On the one hand, talking about Chika so effortlessly made it seem like she wasn’t really gone – it further convinced You that Chika would be okay. And yet, _if_ Chika was dead, You felt strange to be chatting about her so fondly. “She’s always happy and cheerful.”

Ruby glanced over her shoulder, fixing You with a gentle smile as the girls headed towards the cafeteria.

“Sometimes I think she can be a little _too_ kind. I always worry that people are going to take advantage of her, or abuse her trust. To be honest, I felt a little wary of our other friend – Riko – when she first arrived because I worried that she was taking advantage of Chika.” You explained, unable to stop her thoughts from barrelling out of her mouth. She wanted to talk more about her friends, in the hopes of convincing herself that she would find them. “But she’s really nice, too. I love them both.”

Ruby nodded gently as she pushed open the doors to the cafeteria, poking her head around the doorway cautiously. You frowned confusedly as Ruby’s hesitant actions; earlier she had come marching towards the scream of someone that could have been attacked, but now she was worried about encountering something dangerous.

“What’s wrong?”

“Ah!” Ruby suddenly jumped, startled by You’s sudden question. She released a nervous giggle, fiddling with the hem of her shirt nervously. “I-I’m sorry. I just saw a-a really horrible b-boy around here earlier.”

“A boy?”

Ruby nodded, her eyes dropping to the floor. “H-He’s really scary…”

“I’m sorry you had to face him on your own, Ruby.” You laced sympathy into her voice, wanting to reach out and hug the other female, to dispel the sadness upon Ruby’s face. But she merely stood her ground, ignoring the cold that still lingered in her fingertips. “I won’t let him hurt you..”

“Th-Thank you.” Ruby was a little more hesitant when opening the doors, seemingly unwilling to step through. Only when You opened her mouth to say something did Ruby step over the threshold, gesturing for You to do the same.

In silence, You followed Ruby as she weaved through tables. The brunette tried to focus her eyes solely on the back of Ruby’s head, refusing to acknowledge the notes scattered across the walls. She didn’t want to see what had already scared her earlier.

The red-haired female walked straight into the kitchen area, hidden at the very back of the cafeteria. You’s brows were furrowed in confusion; she wasn’t too sure how they would access a lower floor through the _kitchen_ of all places, but she didn’t want to doubt Ruby.

You merely watched as Ruby’s eyes danced across the small area, her mouth parted ever so slightly. Her eyes then seemed to glimmer with recognition as she approached one of the counters. Despite the grime that had accumulated upon the surface, Ruby pushed her hand against the lower side of the counter, wincing.

You began to protest, “What are you-“

And then there was a click.

You’s blue eyes snapped to her side, where a section of the wall had disappeared. It was pitch black beyond the wall, but You could make out the faintest outline of a staircase. Her breath caught in her throat; she had never realised that such a secret was hidden within the very orphanage she lived in.

“I-It’s a little dark going down t-the stairs, but i-if I remember correctly, there’s light at the bottom.” Ruby explained to You, wiping her hand against her clothing as she stared down at the dirt on her fingers. She grimaced. “W-Well, as much light as you can get i-in a place like this!”

“I hope Chika’s okay.” You murmured, staring down into the darkness with a frown tugging at her pink lips. “Kanan, too. I’d hate for anything bad to have happened to her right after she decided to trust us.”

You breathed deeply, stepping closer to the opening in the wall. She looked again into the shadows, silently praying that she would be able to find Chika safe and sound. The thought of being able to find one of her best friends made a newfound hope surge within You. She glanced over her shoulder at Ruby.

But the other girl was frozen. Her emerald eyes were wide as she stared back at You.

“R-Ruby?”

Slowly, hesitantly, Ruby asked. “D-Did you say _Kanan_?”

 

 

**R!K## & Y0H4?!NE**

Yohane tried to suppress the tears that rose within her throat, nodding gently towards Riko. The redhead held a fire within her eyes that made Yohane feel bad for withholding information from her, but she refused to recall such awful events. Instead, she was glad that Riko trusted her enough to leave it while they investigated the source of the sound.

“Be careful of your injury.” Riko instructed the other female, breaking into a run as they emerged from the room. Both of them feared that they would run into the shadowy figure again, but their concern for the other person overpowered their fear. “If it starts to hurt, let me know.”

Yohane responded, trying to keep up with the other girl. “I’m fine. But thank you for worrying.” It was true that her wound hurt a little, but she would have to bear with it. Knowing that she had managed to protect another human being was enough to make her push aside the sharp pains.

Riko pushed onwards, turning corners as she heard another scream shake through the building. This time, it was closer. She darted down the hallway, breathing heavily as she felt her legs struggling to keep up with all the exertion. Even her mind found it hard to comprehend her ability to keep up with all the energy she was using.

Clenching her hands into fists, she prepared to push one of the doors open. She quickly glanced behind to gain Yohane’s approval. When the dark-haired female nodded at her, Riko shoved the door open, poised to attack if someone dared to approach her.

But there was no need for the apprehension.

“A-Are you okay?” Riko was only met by the sight of a girl shorter than herself, cowering in one corner of the room with wide eyes. The girl’s brown hair hung limply in front of her face, hiding her expression from the other girls. “You don’t have to be scared of us.”

But Riko was only met with silence. From both Yohane _and_ the stranger.

“Zuramaru?!”

The brunette lifted her head immediately.

Yohane’s voice held so much joy within it that Riko was momentarily taken back, “Zuramaru, is that you?”

Riko could only stand and watch as the stranger – Zuramaru? – emerged from her corner, running towards Yohane with tears rolling down her cheeks. The two of them embraced each other in a tight hug, shaking as sobs overtook their bodies.

“Yoshiko, I thought you were dead!” The stranger cried aloud, her voice shaking.

Riko blinked feebly, her eyes glancing around the room as she wondered what to do. She decided that she would stand in the doorway and keep watch, unsure of what was going on. It was clear that Yohane knew the stranger – perhaps it would even allow Riko to gather more information about what was going on.

“I thought _you_ were dead!” Yohane replied, pulling away from the brunette with a gentle wince. Riko wanted to speak aloud and ask about Yohane’s injury, but she remained silent, allowing the girls time to catch up. “Where have you been?”

“Don’t even get me started, zura!” The stranger cried, clearly sounding exhausted. She looked Yohane up and down with wide, wet eyes. Her golden eyes seemed to hold within them a permanent state of shock. “I feel like I’ve been running this entire time. I wish I knew what was going on.”

“Ah!” Yohane suddenly piped up, her pink eyes turning to address Riko. They were sympathetic. “Riko, this is my best friend: Hanamaru.” Yohane turned back to the stranger – Riko now knew her name was Hanamaru, not Zuramaru – and finished the introductions.

“It’s nice to meet you.” Riko smiled gently, trying to show kindness towards the other girl. She knew that all of them had experienced horrible things and all of them deserved a break.

“You, too.” Hanamaru grinned towards Riko. “And thank you for taking care of Yoshiko, zura!”

Yohane seemed to release a snort at that, before bickering ensued between the two younger girls. Riko could only watch with wide eyes, suppressing her own laughter at the scene before herself. She was grateful that the two of them could bring some normality to the entire situation; she was tired of always being so on edge.

“I do _not_ need looking after!” Yohane pouted.

Hanamaru smirked, “That’s why you have a nasty cut on your side, zura.”

“Shut up!” Yohane slapped Hanamaru’s arm playfully, before her eyes grew wide. Riko straightened her back, suddenly apprehensive; did Yohane notice something wrong? Even Hanamaru had adopted the same scared look as Yohane, her entire body trembling.

“G-Guys?”

And then Riko heard it: a voice.

“How wonderful! I’m so _glad_ the two of you were able to reunite!” It was the same demonic voice that had attacked them in the nurse’s office. But this time there was a strong anger behind it that sent waves of fear pulsing over Riko’s frame. “Aren’t I just so _wonderful_ to allow you guys to reunite like that? After all, you guys never extended the same courtesy to me!”

“S-Stop…” Hanamaru whispered, her voice suddenly hoarse.

“ _All of you did this to me_!”

With that, what little light they had disappeared, plunging the three of them into complete darkness. Riko had been deprived of all of her senses, excluding her hearing. She tried to focus herself on listening to the movement in the dark, completely focused on her own rapid breathing mixing with Yohane’s and Hanamaru’s.

But then that familiar iciness descended upon them again, like a thin veil laying itself across the entire room. Riko felt her limbs freezing up, but she tried to ignore the weight pushing down on her body. She suddenly felt as if they had been joined by another presence – a malicious one.

As soon as she heard two screams emanating from the room, not too far from where she stood, her hand resting against the wall behind her for support, she perked up. Her wide eyes tried to stare into the darkness, as if she could make some sense of the shadows by squinting. But she could find nothing.

And then she heard the sound of _something_ piercing skin.

Over and over and over.

She clapped her hand over her mouth, trying to refrain from throwing up. But again, her mind tried to surge with positivity, urging her to do something. She quickly figured out where both Yohane and Hanamaru could be in terms of distance. If she went more to her left, she could find Hanamaru, but if she went more to her right, she could find Yohane.

Cursing under her breath, she forced herself to move away from her wall.

 

**Will she SAVE YOHANE or SAVE HANAMARU?**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> as always, head over to my twitter to vote!
> 
> https://twitter.com/alpakotori


	10. Chapter Nine

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm sorry that my schedule isn't as tight as i said it would be - i have a few more things going on that i need to deal with as well, but i'm trying to focus on still getting the chapters out ^^;; so thank you for bearing with me!

**R1K0 & Y0H#### & H4NAM###U**

Riko pushed herself away from the wall and moved towards where Yohane had been standing, praying that everything was okay. The redhead called out as she did so, trying to alert the other females about her decision. Desperately trying to squint through the darkness, Riko prayed that her dark-haired friend hadn’t been hurt.

And then she collided with a body.

“Yohane?!”

“Riko, what’s going on?” Yohane’s voice sounded as distressed and confused as her own. The two girls grasped each other’s hand tightly, Riko diverting her attention towards the other female. She suddenly felt a wave of dread surging over her body; if Yohane was fine, then the only other source of noise was Hanamaru.

“Hanamaru, are you okay?” Riko called out, trying to outstretch one of her hands into the pitch black. She felt nothing other than arctic air slipping through her fingertips. “Can you hear me?!”

And then Riko’s fingertips felt something. Something colder than anything she’d ever felt. Something that felt human and yet completely inhumane at the same time. She wanted to draw her hand back immediately, but her hand seemed frozen in place. A strangled scream escaped her throat and Yohane was the one to tug Riko’s body away from the danger.

“Yoshiko?” Hanamaru’s voice was the next thing to greet them. Riko yelped again, surprised to find that the other girl’s voice was strangely close. “Riko?”

Suddenly there was a hand on Riko’s shoulder. The redhead wanted to flinch, but then felt the warmth from the other girl’s fingertips. She breathed a sigh of relief, glad that it was only Hanamaru and not the shadowy monster from before.

The three of them huddled together, all staring confusedly into the darkness that surrounded them. Riko felt as if she could see all sorts of shapes among the unknown, twisting and curling around one another. It was the kind of thing she had seen in so many of her nightmares; she still couldn’t quite believe it was her reality.

The grotesque stabbing sound seemed to die down, the sound trailing off into silence. The three girls relished in the moment of respite, before lights flooded all around them. Riko glanced both left and right, finding Yohane and Hanamaru on either side of her. It took a moment for her eyes to adjust to the room again.

Stood before her were the remnants of a darkened figure. Gentle wisps of ebony danced in the air, tickling Riko’s face ever so gently. They whispered promises of revenge, of pain and it made a shiver ripple over Riko’s entire frame. Hanamaru seemed to experience the same shiver.

“This…” Hanamaru breathed, “This feels too familiar, zura. Why did this have to happen?”

Riko glanced over at the brunette, her eyes glazing over sympathetically. All three of them wished to leave. None of them deserved to have been subjected to such horrors. Riko wanted nothing more than to return to her dorm and find Chika and You waiting for her.

“Wait…” Yohane mumbled, her voice taking on a twinge of digust. “Do you-Do you _smell_ that?”

Riko paused, her brows furrowing as she pondered over what Yohane could possibly mean. Her eyes danced around the room, staring mostly at the ground below her. But then it hit her. A strong, metallic smell that made Riko instinctively clap her hand over her mouth. The scent could only be one thing: _blood_.

“Look!” Hanamaru piped up, raising a hand and pointing towards the other side of the room.

Sure enough, there were small blood stains climbing up the walls. A puddle of blood had gathered, laying patiently on the floor at the opposite end of the room. Riko’s eyes widened and she felt her entire body sink; had someone else been harmed while she was busy saving Yohane?

Hesitantly, cautiously, Riko stepped closer towards the bloody mess. She winced, subconsciously wanting to run away, but trying to force herself to continue. With a long sigh, she glanced over the table, a shaky cry escaping her lips when she saw the sight awaiting them.

Laying on the floor, face down, was _another_ female. Her blonde hair was sprawled out around her, the ends being stained with the blood around her. There was a wound in her side, which appeared to be rather deep. Riko quickly leaned down, giving the girl a gentle shake to see if she would react.

“Oh, no…” Hanamaru breathed, hurriedly moving towards where Riko stood. All three girls did their best to live the other female, trying not to hurt her anymore. The redhead didn’t want to touch more blood than necessary, but she also refused to leave the girl to die.

As they lifted her, Riko heard Yohane gasp softly. The redhead glanced down at the blonde female, seeing the peaceful look upon her pale face. Her eyes were closed, her lips parted ever so slightly. It was clear that she was unconscious and Riko felt more panic settling within her; though she could hear the shallow breathing coming from the other girl, she was worried about how much longer she would last.

“She looks strangely familiar.” Yohane whispered as she stared down at the female, also doing her best to avoid harming the blonde any more than usual. There was a quiet hum of agreement from the brunette, but the two of them said nothing more.

They simply focused on carrying her out of the room and towards the nurse’s office. Though both Yohane and Riko were hesitant to return, they knew that they had to do _something_.

 

 

**Y0###U & RUBY**

Ruby’s green eyes were wide, “Did you say _Kanan_?”

You nodded slowly, unsure of what to make of the sudden tone change in Ruby’s voice. The red-haired female grew silent, her face turning down. Her skin seemed to pale. Was she feeling sick? The brunette’s brows furrowed and she felt as if she should say something, but found that her mind was blank.

“I-I know Kanan…” Ruby murmured, her voice trailing off into nothing more than dust. She fumbled with the hem of her shirt, suddenly seeming nervous.

“Did you know her before you came here?”

“Yes. W-We stayed in th-this orphanage together. W-With our other friends, of course!” Ruby’s voice adopted a happier tone again, as if she was forcing her nerves away. There was something strained about Ruby’s voice, but You tried to push her hesitance away. “L-Let’s find her!”

You simply nodded, turning back to the hole in the wall. With a deep breath, she made her way down into the basement, wincing as the stairs creaked piteously beneath her. Placing her hand gently on the wall for support, You made her way down to a floor that she hadn’t even known existed.

Silence descended upon the two of them as they ventured into an unknown. You felt her palms sweating, her body shaking softly. When she reached the bottom of the staircase, she glanced left and right, trying to judge which would be the safest option.

She tried to think logically and decided that it would be best to turn right, given the layout of the orphanage. Ruby shuffled along behind her, seemingly too caught up in her own thoughts to say much to You.

“Chika!” You cupped her hands around her mouth, calling out to the other girl. Though she knew it wouldn’t do much other than alert potential dangers, she thought it may help. “Chika! Kanan! Where are you?”

The two girls turned more corners, before You’s ears picked up the sound of pained cries. A female voice spoke up, protesting about something. A surge of recognition washed over You and she found herself breaking into a run. Her legs carried her faster than she had anticipated, her urge to see Chika overpowering her.

When she halted in one of the doorways, she was greeted by the sight of a pile of rubble. Broken wooden boards were laying in a crumpled heap, their sharp shards stained by blood. You’s blue eyes widened and she turned, looking further into the empty room. And there she saw them.

Chika was sitting in one corner, leaning her back against the wall. Her arms were looped around her knees, her forehead resting against her legs as she sat there. Her bright hair was dirty and dishevelled, covered in a dark ash that dulled her colour.

Kanan was stood beside the orange-haired female, her arms wrapped tightly around her torso. It was clear that she was finding it hard to stand, due to the way she was hunched over, using the wall as her only support. It wasn’t too clear how far they had fallen, but You knew that both of them were hurt.

“Chika!” You rushed forward, immediately leaning down beside her injured friend. A pair of wide, pink eyes turned up to greet her. You grinned at the other girl, pulling her into a tight hug when she saw tears forming in Chika’s eyes.

Chika wailed, “I want to go home, You!”

You patted the other girl’s back gently, trying to suppress her own tears. She also wanted to go back; despite her brave façade, You didn’t know how much more she could deal with. Everything was slowly becoming far too much.

“I don’t want to have to deal with scary things, or fear for my life, or run away! I just want to go back to the dorms, with you and Riko!” Chika’s pitiful cries continued to spill from her lips, filling the silence of the lower floor. You hadn’t seen Chika like that for a long, long time; for so long, Chika had managed to stay cheerful all the time. “It’s too much, You!”

“I know, Chika. I know.” You whispered, doing her best to comfort the other girl.

Kanan smiled sympathetically, still leaning against the wall. Her eyes turned down to the two girls, and even she felt tears welling within herself. It had been so long since she had felt somewhat comfortable; it had been too long since she was able to truly acknowledge how she felt about the situation.

You stroked Chika’s hair gently, sniffing to hold back her own tears. The only sound in the room was Chika’s painful cries which broke in and out of screams. Chika’s hands clutched You tightly, as if she were trying to desperately hold on to her sanity.

And then Kanan screamed.

You immediately pulled away from Chika, her heart pounding against her chest. She was preparing herself to try and run, but there was nothing. You only furrowed her brows, glancing between Chika and Kanan. She turned to see Ruby stood in the doorway, her hands clutched in front of her chest as her eyes went wide.

“Kanan, what’s wrong?”

“No! _No!_ No, no, no, no.” Kanan could only repeat that same word, her entire body quivering.

For a moment, You could only stand, wondering what was wrong. She rose from where she had crouched down, her eyes dancing between the three people. Chika was still crying, curled into a ball against the wall. Ruby remained in the doorway, her lower lip shaking. Kanan stared at the red-haired female, her eyes conveying a hatred that You had never seen before.

And then it clicked.

Kanan was afraid of Ruby. For whatever reason, Kanan was terrified of the other girl. You couldn’t understand why; Ruby had seemed so frail and gentle, there could be no reason for anyone to be afraid of her. Unless there was something You hadn’t been told.

It was as those thoughts settled within her mind that You felt herself becoming even more confused. She wasn’t sure who she could trust. What if neither of them were telling the truth? You slapped a hand against her head, trying to rid herself of such thoughts. She _knew_ that one of them had to be telling the truth.

But she didn’t know whether she should calm Kanan by asking Ruby to leave, or offer protection to the red-haired female by allowing her to stay.

 

**Will You CALM KANAN or TRUST RUBY?**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> don't forget to have your say!
> 
> https://twitter.com/alpakotori


	11. Chapter Ten

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> it seems that a lot is revealed in this chapter! and hopefully the choice isn't too difficult~ ;D
> 
> just to clarify: i think i might start uploading once a week instead of whenever i finish a chapter. hopefully that isn't too annoying for any of you? i just have a lot of work to do and often can't find the time to properly sit down and write - i'm very sorry if this is an inconvenience to anyone!

**CH!K444 & Y0# & K4N####N**

You looked again between Kanan and Ruby, her lips parted as she fumbled over what she should say. After pondering for another moment, she turned to face the doorway, her blue eyes meeting Ruby’s wide, emerald ones.

“I’m sorry, Ruby. I think you should leave for a bit. We’ll calm Kanan down and then I’ll come and find you, okay?” You tried to lace sympathy into her voice, feeling bad for turning away the younger female; nobody should have to be on their own in such a scary place, but You also couldn’t stand by and allow Kanan to be so distressed. “I promise.”

Ruby was silent for a moment, her wide eyes glossy as she glanced between the three other females. There was a strong sadness radiating off of her smaller frame in thick waves, each wave choking You more than the last. And then her red hair fell forward, draping over her shoulders as she nodded feebly.

“O-Okay.” Ruby murmured, before turning on her heels. She walked away, leaving the other three females in the messy room. You released a short sigh, unable to believe that she’d just turned someone away.

If Ruby were to get hurt, You would never forgive herself.

“Kanan?” You approached the dark-haired female hesitantly. “Kanan, it’s okay.”

You gently patted the older female’s shoulder as her body slowly stopped shaking, her wide eyes becoming less frantic. Chika’s brows were furrowed as she pushed herself off of the floor, wiping the remains of her tears from her cheeks. The two of them stood on either side of Kanan, trying to offer her some comfort.

“I-I’m sorry.” Kanan breathed, her voice wavering as she forced the words from her mouth. She dropped her head, burying her face behind her palms. Both Chika and You were confused as to why Kanan had been so afraid of Ruby, and yet neither of them had the strength to push for information.

Chika adopted a soothing tone, “Kanan, can you tell us what’s wrong?”

Kanan opened her mouth to speak, but Chika suddenly released a pained cry, doubling over as she clutched her leg. You immediately sprung forward, her hands on Chika’s shoulders. In the mess that had kicked off between Kanan and Ruby, You had completely forgotten that she should get their injuries checked.

“Never mind.” You decided, shaking her head. “We can discuss that later. For now, the two of you need to sort out your injuries. Let’s go.”

Kanan glanced away, somewhat regretful that she couldn’t explain to the others. And then she nodded, her hair bouncing around her. You kept an arm around Chika’s shoulders to support her weight as they stumbled out of the messy room. Chika did her best to force a smile on to her face for the sake of the others, but she couldn’t ignore the tears that still wished to fall.

Each of them wanted nothing more than to get home. Their thoughts were focused on nothing other than leaving such a wretched place as they staggered along the dimly lit hallways. Kanan suppressed a shiver that run down her spine, her eyes widening momentarily. She quickly pushed aside her panicked thought, putting the cold down to the fact that they were in the basement.

You noticed Kanan’s momentary hesitance, but kept quiet. She couldn’t focus on anything other than keeping Chika upright. Her mind was completely focused on reaching the nurse’s office before their injuries proved to be more dangerous.

“This way,” You nodded as Kanan stepped out in front.

Then Kanan stopped, her body frozen in front of the staircase leading back to the first floor. You’s brows furrowed as she continued to hold Chika up, the orange-haired female watching Kanan with wide, pink eyes. Kanan glanced over her shoulder at the two of them.

“I-It’s blocked.” Kanan breathed, the words hanging in the air between the girls. You felt her heart stop before it began frantically pounding against her chest, making her stomach churn dangerously. It had been completely clear when You had first come down.

“That can’t be right…” You whispered, removing her arm from around Chika. The other girl propped herself up against the wall, watching her friend with worried eyes. The brunette approached the staircase, feeling her entire body collapsing as she saw the blockage.

Only one other person had been down there with them. That either meant she was still trapped, or she had managed to make it out before the blockage. But You hadn’t heard anything: something so messy would surely have made _some_ noise.

“This was her doing. It had to be.” Kanan hissed through gritted teeth, her voice suddenly dripping with a venom that You hadn’t expected. You turned again, her blue eyes sympathetic as she found Kanan’s frame. The dark-haired female was clenching her fists at her sides, her entire body quivering with anger.

“You don’t know that for sure. She might still be trapped down here.” You murmured. As much as she wanted to find out Kanan’s reasons for disliking Ruby, she knew that they didn’t have the luxury of standing around and talking. “And she’s on her own. We should look for her.”

Kanan spat, “No.”

You blinked, feeling exhausted. She didn’t want to have to deal with a petty argument while also trying to save people. All she wanted was to find a way to leave and it would be harder to do that if Kanan was insisting on being awkward.

“Well, Kanan, if she’s really as dangerous as you say she is, would it not be better for us to keep an eye on her?” You threw the question at Kanan rather aggressively, her tiredness becoming apparent to the other girls. The brunette dropped her head, suddenly ashamed of being so forward. “I’m just saying that there’s safety in numbers. I don’t want to lose you guys again.”

Kanan stared back at You with parted lips. She released a short sigh, but nodded feebly. As much as she wanted to stay away from the other girl, she knew it wasn’t fair for her to expect Chika and You to understand when they knew nothing.

 

 

**R!K0 & Y0#AN3 & #4NAMARUUUU & ????**

 

The three girls set about carrying the blonde female to the nurse’s office, Hanamaru clearly struggling more than Riko or Yohane. They stumbled along the hallways, Yohane keeping an eye out for anything dangerous as they shuffled along. There were a few noises that made them jump; on one occasion, Hanamaru had nearly dropped the blonde female’s legs.

The whole time, Yohane and Hanamaru had been exchanging confused looks. Riko had tried to ignore them, unsure of what she didn’t know. Riko kicked out her back leg as they reached the nurse’s office, pushing the door open. The three girls stumbled inside, quickly placing the blonde girl on one of the beds.

Hanamaru also seated herself on the other bed, breathing heavily. Riko immediately set about gathering items to treat the blonde girl’s wounds, allowing Yohane to seat herself beside her brunette friend. The two of them spoke in hushed whispers, their eyes concentrated on the unconscious blonde.

“But she can’t be…”

“Who else would it be?”

“Does that mean…”

“Maybe.”

Riko only picked up on bits and pieces of the conversation between the other girls as she bustled around the room, crouching beside the unconscious female. Quietly, she set about cleaning the wound as best she could. Though she wasn’t too sure what she was really doing, she knew that it had to be somewhat effective, as it had worked on Yohane.

When Riko had finished up, she put the items away, keeping her head ducked as the others continued talking, their hushed whispers becoming more excited. The redhead turned to face them, her brows furrowed.

She spoke up, “What’s going on?”

Hanamaru and Yohane turned to face her, their eyes wide. Again, they exchanged hesitant glances with one another before Yohane decided to speak up, “I think we know her.”

“You do?”

“I think that’s Mari Ohara.” Yohane put it rather bluntly, causing Riko to blink in response. She wasn’t sure what she had expected, but she hadn’t really expected them to know the girl. Riko remained silent, allowing them time to elaborate. “She went to the orphanage with us. With everyone.”

“I guess you could say we were pretty close. Our friend was sister to a friend of Mari’s.” Hanamaru explained as she looked between Yohane and Riko. “We would hang out together from time to time. Mari was really nice.”

The two continued to explain to Riko about the time they had spent with her in the orphanage. They spoke about the fun times, the sad times. But their voices began to trail off, their eyes dropping to the floor as they spoke. Their voices suddenly drifted off into silence.

Yohane dropped her eyes, unsure of whether she should continue. An uncomfortable silence descended upon the room and Riko shifted awkwardly. A few moments passed in which none of them said anything.

Then Riko pressed, “What happened next?”

Yohane whispered, “One of them died.”

Riko’s eyes widened. Her lips parted as she stared at the other girls, unsure of what she could say or do to make them feel better. She could only breathe a feeble apology, her eyes trained on the floor. When she looked up again, she saw a lone tear slipping down Hanamaru’s cheek, which the brunette quickly wiped away.

“We never found out why she died.” Hanamaru’s voice suddenly broke off as she hid her face behind her hands. Yohane put an arm around her shoulders comfortingly.

An unfamiliar voice spoke up from Riko’s side, “D-Dia?”

Each face turned to see who had spoken up. The blonde-haired female was struggling to sit up on the bed, her bright eyes wide. Her hair hung limply around her face, the blonde stained by harsh, red blood. Her eyes were glossy, tears forming in the corners of her eyes.

“You mean Dia, right?” Her voice was feeble as she addressed the others. Hanamaru could only nod towards the other girl, before she covered her face again, sniffling quietly. Riko stood between the females, glancing back and forth between them.

“Who’s Dia?” Riko asked hesitantly, not wanting to push them further than necessary.

“Dia was our friend. And Ruby’s older sister.” Yohane replied, her voice also wobbling as the tears gathered in her eyes. Riko nodded, her eyes widening as she thought back to the diary. Things were starting to fall in place, but she didn’t like the outcome she was reaching.

“Maybe that’s why we’re here.” Riko mumbled aloud, unable to contain her own thoughts. “If Ruby is the ghost, as I said, then maybe she’s angry about the death of her sister. And she wants someone to pay for it.”

Every pair of eyes stared back at her, conveying a mix of horror and shock. And yet behind those emotions, there was a hesitant recognition; none of them wanted to admit that Riko just might be right. But there was no other explanation.

Riko waited for a moment before speaking again, “Maybe she wants a sacrifice.”

Again, silence descended upon the room. But this time it was accompanied by a sheet of arctic air that encased each body with shivers. Riko felt her heart beginning to pound against her chest, the same fear and anticipation settling within her limbs.

“I never thought you could be so smart, Riko!” That same childish, demonic voice had come back to haunt them. But it confirmed all of their worst thoughts. Hanamaru released a scream, her head frantically shaking back and forth. “I didn’t want to have to reveal my identity so early, but I suppose it’s only fair. Although there is _one_ part of your theory that isn’t quite correct.”

“H-How so?” Riko held up her chin defiantly.

“You use the word sacrifice as if they don’t deserve it.” A childish giggle echoed around the room, sending shivers down Riko’s spine. Her eyes darted between the other females, taking in the fearful expressions on their faces. “But they’re all responsible for her death. All of them deserve to die.”

“That’s not true!” Riko protested, again looking around for confirmation from the others. But each pair of eyes had turned away from her, staring at the ground detachedly. There was a strange vacancy in all of their eyes that made Riko’s body freeze. “It can’t be true!”

“And what would you know, Riko?” The childish tones became more demonic, angrier. Each word hit Riko like a stab wound, making her want to double over. “So I’ll leave it to _you_ , Riko. As a reward for figuring me out, you can choose which one of them dies.”

With that, the coldness dissipated. Riko could only stand with her hands shaking at her sides, her eyes staring at the wall opposite. She couldn’t. She refused to do such a thing. And yet she feared that refusal could lead to something far worse.

 

**Who should die?**

**YOHANE, HANAMARU, MARI**

**I refuse.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> remember to head over to my twitter to vote!
> 
> https://twitter.com/alpakotori

**Author's Note:**

> to vote and keep up with updates, please head over to my Twitter:  
> https://twitter.com/alpakotori
> 
> thank you all, and i hope you look forward to this~! <3 :)


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